To examine what, if any, are the differences in how activities are coordinated within-firms vs. between-firms we conducted interviews with 32 project managers regarding 60 projects in the offshore software services industry. Uniquely, our projects were sampled along two dimensions: (1)...

We propose a theory that explains why the relentless pursuit of effective implementation – the ability to get employees to take actions believed necessary to execute a strategy – may be useful even in a world in which the strategies being implemented are far from optimal. In keeping with...

This study links evolution in organizational structure to ambiguity in the definition of performance in the context of organizations formed to develop long-lived infrastructure: so-called ‘mega-projects’. Based on a longitudinal, inductive analysis of three mega-projects in London, we argue...

Across many fields of social science, machine learning (ML) algorithms are rapidly advancing research as tools to support traditional hypothesis testing research (e.g. through data reduction and automation of data coding, or for improving matching on observable features of a phenomenon or...

The promise of collaboration between humans and algorithms in producing good decisions is stimulating much experimentation in the world of practice. Drawing on research in organization design can help us to approach this experimentation (and its analysis) systematically. I propose typologies for...

While topic models are increasingly used for natural language processing in management and strategy research, their interpretability remains challenging. If researchers restrict the number of topics for simplicity, the induced topic structure may not be statistically accurate. If they do not,...

Design thinking remains mired in controversy. Its proponents claim that it enhances not just confidence but also creativity, but its opponents question whether it does anything beyond building unfounded confidence. In order to bring rigorous evidence to this debate, we designed a randomized...

Communication gaps often lead to accidents, delays, missed opportunities, waste, and conflict in organizations. However, on occasion, they can also lead to beneficial outcomes, at least for one of the parties involved. Prior scholarship on productive misunderstandings and on strategic ambiguity...

We introduce the concept of a “code”- a fuzzy mapping between two distinct sets of cognitive constructs – as a fundamental construct to study culture. The concept of a code, and the distinction between using a code vs. expectations about the code others use, can be applied to study many...

In organizations such as 'boss-less' firms, online communities, and common-pool resource communities, members collaborate with limited or no dependence on authority (superiors in a hierarchy). These and similar types of organizations can be viewed as examples of 'collaborative organizing' - an...