Repertoire, Routinization, and Enacted Complexity in Patterns of Action

Abstract

In this article, we study the effects of action patterns on team performance. We consider two key dimensions: repertoire (the number of recognizable action patterns) and routinization (the extent to which observed actions match the recognized repertoire). Repertoire and routinization have been widely hypothesized to influence performance, but in a contingent way: in simple settings, a small, routinized repertoire is best, but in complex settings, a larger, less routinized repertoire may be preferable. We analyze these relationships using pattern recognition techniques from computer science to obtain objective measures of each construct in two contrasting settings: (1) a crisis management task with high complexity and little prior knowledge; and (2) an invoice management setting with low complexity and much prior knowledge. As expected, we find that repertoire of action patterns and routinization are significant determinants of performance. However, we find that these variables have a significant indirect effect through enacted complexity, a construct that has not been explicitly considered in prior theory.