A hierarchical structure is a widespread organizational form in many areas. My aim in this paper is to provide a rationale for this fact based on two premises. First, a group organizes itself so as to achieve efficient coordination. Second, efficient coordination is achieved only if subgroups as well as individuals agree to cooperate. Even in…

Contemporary theories of organizations are assessed to determine whether their propositions and empirical findings can be directly applied to understand and explain voluntary associations. The inquiry is arranged under five types of characteristics: incentive systems and participant commitment, formal structures, leadership and authority,…

Interviews and observations at the Children's Center, a Bronx (New York) psychiatric hospital, yielded data about the effects on individual power of network relations at the individual and work-unit levels. Regression analysis indicates individuals' participation in work units that are integrated into organization-wide networks enhances individual…