The Firm as a Dedicated Hierarchy: A Theory of the Origins and Growth of Firms

S-Tier
Journal: Quarterly Journal of Economics
Year: 2001
Volume: 116
Issue: 3
Pages: 805-851

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

In the formative stages of their businesses, entrepreneurs have to provide incentives for employees to protect, rather than steal, the source of organizational rents. We study how the entrepreneur's response to this problem determines the organization's internal structure, growth, and its eventual size. Large, steep hierarchies will predominate in physical-capital-intensive industries, and will have seniority-based promotion policies. By contrast, flat hierarchies will prevail in human-capital-intensive industries and will have up-or-out promotion systems. Furthermore, flat hierarchies will have more distinctive technologies or cultures than steep hierarchies. The model points to some essential differences between organized hierarchies and markets.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:oup:qjecon:v:116:y:2001:i:3:p:805-851.
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-29