Delegation in Multi-Establishment Firms: Evidence from I.T. Purchasing

被引:42
作者
McElheran, Kristina [1 ]
机构
[1] Harvard Univ, Sch Business, Boston, MA 02163 USA
基金
美国国家科学基金会;
关键词
INFORMATION-TECHNOLOGY; ASSET OWNERSHIP; ORGANIZATION; HIERARCHIES; DECENTRALIZATION; RESPONSIBILITY; COMMUNICATION; PRODUCTIVITY; INCENTIVES; GOVERNANCE;
D O I
10.1111/jems.12054
中图分类号
F [经济];
学科分类号
02 ;
摘要
Recent contributions to a growing theory literature have focused on the tradeoff between adaptation and coordination in determining delegation within firms. Empirical evidence, however, is limited. Using establishment-level data on decision rights over information technology investments, I find that a high net value of adaptation is strongly associated with delegation, as are local information advantages and firm-wide diversification; in contrast, a high net value of within-firm coordination is correlated with centralization. Variation across establishments within firms is widespread: most firms are neither fully centralized nor fully decentralized. Delegation patterns are largely consistent with standard team-theory predictions; however, certain findings, such as a negative correlation between delegation and firm size, call for a consideration of agency costs as well.
引用
收藏
页码:225 / 258
页数:34
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