How Does Organic Organizational Structure Boost Employees’ Task Performance: The Mediating Role of Rules Perception

Abstract

This paper focuses on the mediating effects of employees’ rules perception in the relationship between organic organizational structure and their task performance in the Chinese workplace. Specifically, we define rules perception as the extent to which employees perceive that people’s actions in their organizations follow the formal rules. We hypothesize that a) employees’ perception of organic organizational structure is positively related to their rules perception, b) employees’ rules perception is positively associated with their task performance, and c) rules perception significantly mediates between employees’ perception of organic organizational structure and their task performance. Results from two-wave surveys of 325 Chinese employees provide largely consistent supports for our hypotheses. Our findings advance the current understandings of the influencing process between organic organizational structure and employees’ task performance by identifying the mediating role of rules perception. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.