On the origins of informal hierarchy
The interactive role of formal leadership and task complexity
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12169171 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jacoba Oedzes (0000-0002-2387-948X, Department of HRM and OB, Faculty of Economics and Business University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands, corresponding author), Gerben S van der Vegt (0000-0002-1108-9309, Department of HRM and OB, Faculty of Economics and Business University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands), Floor Rink (University of Groningen), Floor A Rink (0009-0006-6554-6866, Department of HRM and OB, Faculty of Economics and Business University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands), Frank Walter (Department of Organization and Human Resource Management Justus Liebig University Giessen Gießen Germany) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 311-324 |
| Publication date | 2018-10-18 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Organizational Behavior (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0894-3796 • E-ISSN: 1099-1379 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/job.2330 |
| OpenAlex | W2897358234 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
| References cited | 79 |
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
Antecedent (behavioral psychology · Epistemology · Formal organization · Hierarchy · Informal learning · Informal organization · Knowledge management · Management · Mechanism (biology · Political science · Social science · Sociology · Structuring · Task (project management · Computer Science · Innovation and Knowledge Management · Management and Organizational Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology · Team Dynamics and Performance
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| Unique citing works | 5 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,83 |
| Citation span | 2020 - 2026 (7) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 5 |