Abstract
In this article, I examine collaborative organizational forms in terms of their institutional properties and the mechanisms by which they solve the universal problems of organizing. Based on three ideal forms—markets, hierarchies, and communities—I propose a framework for analyzing and mapping organizational forms. The framework expands our understanding of the ideal forms and derives a set of analytically distinct hybrids at the intersection of the ideal types. The framework also specifies the main conditions that drive organizations to change form and move toward another hybrid or ideal form. The theoretical review of collaborative organizational forms is illustrated and informed by three empirical cases of new forms within the domains of drug discovery, software development, as well as professional services. Further, I discuss plural forms and the role of hierarchy in collaborative forms. Finally, I outline implications for research and practice in terms of comparative analysis of organizational forms, the role of crowds, as well as the interplay between new technologies and new organizational forms.
Highlights
In this article, I examine collaborative organizational forms in terms of their institutional properties and the mechanisms by which they solve the universal problems of organizing
I synthesize the findings in an analytical framework based on three ideal forms—markets, hierarchies, and communities showing that including community as the third ideal type is necessary and useful for analyzing and understanding collaborative organizational forms
In the literature on market-hierarchy hybrids, we find numerous examples of hybrid configurations such as franchise arrangements and different forms of strategic alliances (Borys and Jemison 1989; Shane 1996; Williamson 1991) and it is reasonable to expect this to be the case with community-based hybrids as well
Summary
I examine collaborative organizational forms in terms of their institutional properties and the mechanisms by which they solve the universal problems of organizing. I examine collaborative organizational forms, understood as communities and community-based hybrids, in terms of their institutional properties and the mechanisms by which they solve the universal problems of organizing and compare and contrast them with markets and hierarchies. This study contributes to economic organization and organization theory by specifying ideal forms across a parsimonious set of dimension and deriving a set of analytically distinct hybrids at the intersection of the ideal types. It contributes by identifying the main conditions that drive organizations’ change of form. I outline implications for research and practice in terms of comparative analysis of organizational forms, the role of crowds, as well as technology as enabler for new organizational forms
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