Overcoming the Challenges of Scale in Less Hierarchical Organizing

Abstract

There is growing interest in alternative, less hierarchical forms of organizing, understood as forms of organizing that distribute formal authority more widely than in conventional hierarchical firms. A fundamental question about less hierarchical organizing is its ability to scale. At the center of this concern is the issue of coordination as typical coordination mechanisms in less hierarchical organizations become prohibitively costly at scale and even if efficient mechanisms are developed, they may fail to provide individuals the experience of empowerment and participation that attracted them to the organization and motivated their contribution to it. Bringing together four papers on the topic of scaling less hierarchical organizing, this symposium will present a vibrant picture of the current state of research on the topic and provide a compelling set of insights about how the challenges of scale can be overcome. Scaling up without blowing up: How collaborative organizing manages conflict Presenter: Fang He; ESSEC Business School NETWORKED ACTIVISM AT SCALE: SELF-ORGANIZING IN THE ABSENCE OF MANAGERIAL CONTROL Presenter: Felipe Gorenstein Massa; Loyola U. New Orleans Presenter: Siobhan O'Mahony; Boston U. Sortition and the scaling of democratic organizations: An empirical investigation Presenter: Simon Pek; U. of Victoria Employee allocation and problems with scaling up boss-less organizations Presenter: Maciej Workiewicz; ESSEC Business School