In order to cut casts while increasing customer responsiveness, some c
orporations are integrating the competitive features of small companie
s with the resources of large corporations. They are adopting a hybrid
type of organization by decentralizing decision-making to the busines
s units and centralizing administrative functions al the corporate lev
el. This article outlines the characteristics of a hybrid corporation
and describes the role of corporate staffs within Jive corporations th
at have evolved to a hybrid structure. Some first steps an the path to
a hybrid structure and corresponding staff activities are also descri
bed. (C) 1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.