THE TECHNOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF TASK-COORDINATING STRUCTURES IN NEW WORK ORGANIZATIONS - THEORETICAL NOTES FROM THE CASE OF ABDOMINAL-SURGERY

The significance of the movement to decentralize workplace authority i s hotly debated. Drawing from a case study of the impact of video tech nology on surgical work, this article provides conceptual clarity to t he debate by specifying the technological determinants of two distinct task-coordinating structures found in decentralized work units. The f irst involves unilateral control by the dominant actor in the work tea m It is effective when tasks are segmented and when coordination occur s in a natural,face-ro-face context. The second structure involves the formation of teams with particularistic, group-based coordination ski lls. This team-based structure is demanded when outputs are produced c ollectively in tightly coupled units, and the task unit coordinates it s collective actions through complex information-mediating technology.