New Developments in Coordination Theory and Practice

Abstract

This symposium highlights new developments in the theory and practice of coordination. While coordination is often defined as managing the interdependence between tasks (Malone & Crowston, 1994), theorists have come to see it also as the management of interdependence between the people who perform the tasks. As a result, while still attending to the technical requirements of the work that is being coordinated - uncertainty, complexity, time constraints, interdependence, etc. - theorists are paying greater attention to the quality of communication and relationships among participants. In a sense, coordination is now seen as a sociotechnical process with fundamental implications for how organizations work. In this symposium we explore four new developments in coordination theory and practice - formal structures as replacement for managerial authority, technological disruption, temporal disruption, and the policy-making process - highlighting the implications for how organizations work.