Task complexity, organizational size, and performance: an examination of the U.S. state budget agencies
研究了任务复杂性对政府机构绩效的影响，发现小机构适合多样化任务、大机构适合同质化任务，基于1986-2008年美国州预算机构数据验证。
We examine the impact of one dimension of administrative task configuration, task complexity, on organizational performance of government agencies. While task complexity allows greater specialization and thus positive returns to productivity, it often increases inter-task coordination costs. We argue that one can improve performance by designing heterogeneous tasks in small agencies and homogeneous tasks in large ones. We find empirical support for this proposition using panel data on 13 tasks of state budget agencies and fiscal management performance between 1986 and 2008. This study helps understand the performance impact of task complexity, a significant yet overlooked feature of agency structure.