Coordination and Experimentation in M-Form and U-Form Organizations

S-Tier
Journal: Journal of Political Economy
Year: 2006
Volume: 114
Issue: 2
Pages: 366-402

Score contribution per author:

2.681 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

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

Abstract

We compare the performance of organizational forms (M-form and U-form) in experimenting with uncertain projects. In our framework, organizational forms affect the information structure of an organization and thus the way to coordinate changes. Compared to the U-form, the M-form organization achieves better coordination in "attribute matching" but suffers from coordination in "attribute compatibility" and less gains in specialization. The distinctive advantage of the M-form is its flexibility in choosing between small-scale and full-scale experimentation.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:ucp:jpolec:v:114:y:2006:i:2:p:366-402
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-29