Organization Design: The Epistemic Interdependence Perspective

Abstract

We develop a novel analytical framework to study epistemic interdependence between agents and the resulting need for predictive knowledge as a basis for understanding information processing requirements in organizations, and the implications for organization design. These two new constructs help to sharply distinguish interdependence between tasks and between agents, and highlight why even interdependence between agents need not imply any need for information processing between them. They also help to refine key ideas about organization design.

Keywords: Organization Design, Epistemic Interdependence, Information Processing, Coordination