10 Coordination in Organizations: An Integrative Perspective
Abstract
Coordination, the process of interaction that integrates a collective set of interdependent tasks, is a central purpose of organizations. In this review we begin by discussing the origins of interest in coordination, tracing some of the classic perspectives. We present a review of recent literature on coordination in organizations arranged according to the mechanisms that help achieve it. We then go beyond this review to provide a framework to understand what different coordination mechanisms and activities accomplish. We propose that coordination mechanisms (such as routines, meetings, plans, and schedules) impact the work of organizations by creating three integrative conditions for coordinated activity: accountability, predictability, and common understanding. We end by examining the implications of such a perspective for future research on coordination in organizations.
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Coordination and integration have occasionally been used interchangeably in the IOR literature.
“coordination and integration have occasionally been used interchangeably in the IOR literature (Inkpen & Dinur, 1998; for a discussion about these two concepts in the intraorganizational context, see Okhuysen & Bechky, 2009).”
From Collaboration, Coordination, and Cooperation Among Organizations: Establishing the Distinctive Meanings of These Terms Through a Systematic Literature Review (2020) · cites this paper as Okhuysen & Bechky, 2009
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- Authors
- Okhuysen, G. A., & Bechky, B. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Utah (US)
- Venue
- Academy of Management Annals
- Publisher
- Academy of Management
- Published
- 2009-01
- Volume
- 3
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 463-502
- ISSN
- 1941-6067 (ISSN-L)
- 1941-6520
- OpenAlex
- W4229671734
- Cited by
- 998
- References
- 9
- Citations by year
- 2026: 126 · 2025: 54 · 2024: 60 · 2023: 71 · 2022: 74 · 2021: 73 · 2020: 60 · 2019: 75 · 2018: 64 · 2017: 86 · 2016: 47 · 2015: 49 · 2014: 36 · 2013: 39 · 2012: 43
- FWCI
- 45.06
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Academy of Management Annals (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Management and Organizational Studies
- Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management › Management Theory and Practice
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Team Dynamics and Performance
- Keywords
- coordination mechanisms, routines, meetings, planning, scheduling, accountability, predictability, common understanding, interdependent tasks, organizational integration
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