Journalartikel

Jahr der Veröffentlichung: 2019

Seiten: 311-324

Zeitschrift: Journal of Organizational Behavior

Bandnummer: 40

Heftnummer: 3

ISSN: 0894-3796

eISSN: 1099-1379

Open Access Status: Hybrid

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2330

Verlag: Wiley

Abstract: 
Informal hierarchies are a common and important feature of many groups, yet we know little about the antecedent conditions that determine the strength of such hierarchies. Building on theory that has depicted hierarchy as a mechanism for reducing uncertainty and creating structure, we posit that informal hierarchies emerge most strongly in situations that are ambiguous, ill-defined, and unstructured. Three independent studies confirm this notion, demonstrating that groups develop particularly strong informal hierarchies in situations characterized by both a lack of strong formal leadership and high task complexity. These findings support the theoretical notion that formal and informal hierarchies are closely related, but only under conditions of high task complexity in which the structuring functions of hierarchies are most crucial.

Harvard-Zitierstil: Oedzes, J., Van der Vegt, G., Rink, F. and Walter, F. (2019) On the origins of informal hierarchy: The interactive role of formal leadership and task complexity, Journal of Organizational Behavior, 40(3), pp. 311-324. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2330

APA-Zitierstil: Oedzes, J., Van der Vegt, G., Rink, F., & Walter, F. (2019). On the origins of informal hierarchy: The interactive role of formal leadership and task complexity. Journal of Organizational Behavior. 40(3), 311-324. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2330