Integrating distributed work: comparing task design, communication, and tacit coordination mechanisms
研究了企业在业务流程外包中整合分布式工作的协调策略，发现隐性协调机制能有效缓解流程间的相互依赖对绩效的负面影响，且不同于传统的沟通或模块化策略。
Abstract We investigate coordination strategies in integrating distributed work. In the context of Business Process Offshoring (BPO), we analyze survey data from 126 offshored processes to understand both the sources of difficulty in integrating distributed work as well as how organizations overcome these difficulties. We find that interdependence between offshored and onshore processes can lower offshored process performance, and investing in coordination mechanisms can ameliorate the performance impact of interdependence. In particular, we outline a distinctive set of coordination mechanisms that rely on tacit coordination—and theoretically articulate and empirically show that tacit coordination mechanisms are distinct from the well‐known duo of coordination strategies: building communication channels or modularizing processes to minimize the need for communication. We discuss implications for the study of coordination in organizations. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.