The Contingent Value of Organizational Integration

Authors

  • Virpi Turkulainen Aalto University
  • Mikko Ketokivi IE Business School

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7146/jod.7864

Keywords:

Organizational integration, contingency theory, organizational effectiveness, organizational complexity, task complexity

Abstract

We elaborate the link between organizational design and effectiveness by examining organizational integration and performance in the context of modern manufacturing. Through careful contextualization and empirical analysis of 266 manufacturing organizations in three industries and nine countries, we uncover a joint effect of integration and complexity on organizational effectiveness. The results extend structural contingency theory, in particular the mechanisms that link organizational integration to organizational effectiveness. We conclude by discussing the continuing relevance of structural contingency theory.

Author Biographies

Virpi Turkulainen, Aalto University

Dr. Virpi Turkulainen is an Academy of Finland post-doctoral fellow at the Department of Industrial Management at Aalto University in Finland. She is currently working as a visiting scholar at the Global Project Center, Stanford University. Previously she has worked as a visiting scholar at Michigan State University and University of Minnesota among others. Dr. Turkulainen earned her PhD from Helsinki University of Technology with the focus on designing organizations of manufacturing units and organizational coordination and integration of functions. Her primary research interests are in organizational design, integration and coordination, global operations, operations strategy, and emerging business models. She has published in Industrial Marketing Management, Journal of Supply Chain Management, International Journal of Operations and Production Management and International Journal of Project Management among others.

Mikko Ketokivi, IE Business School

Mikko Ketokivi is a Professor of Operations Management at IE Business School in Madrid. He holds a PhD in Business Administration from the University of Minnesota. His research focuses on organization design, behavioral decision-making, statistical research methods, scientific reasoning, and rhetoric. Dr. Ketokivi has published his research in journals such as Administrative Science Quarterly, Academy of Management Review, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Operations Management, Decision Sciences Journal, and Production & Operations Management. He is an Editorial Board Member of Academy of Management Review.

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Published

2013-08-20

How to Cite

Turkulainen, V., & Ketokivi, M. (2013). The Contingent Value of Organizational Integration. Journal of Organization Design, 2(2), 31–43. https://doi.org/10.7146/jod.7864

Issue

Section

Research Article