Authors
Richard M Burton, Borge Obel
Publication date
1980/9/1
Journal
Administrative Science Quarterly
Pages
457-466
Publisher
Cornell University Graduate School of Business and Public Administration
Description
This research tests Williamson's M-form hypothesis which posits an information imperative of organizational form instead of a technology imperative. The experimental design is a two-by-two factorial design. Two levels of decomposability of technology are the values for the first variable. The multidivisional form (M-form) and the unitary (U-form) are the values for the second variable. The data are generated from a perturbed decomposed mathematical programming model that is coordinated by a Dantzig-Wolfe pricing approach. The data are analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric approach. The results substantiate Williamson's hypothesis that the M-form of organization is superior to the U-form organization alternative. For each of the two levels of decomposability of technology, the M-form of organization yields higher profit solutions than the U-form.
Total citations
Scholar articles
RM Burton, B Obel - Administrative Science Quarterly, 1980