Capacity expansion for information flow distribution in multi-path computer communication networks
Journal of Management Information Systems
Computational and mathematical organization theory: perspective and directions
Computational & Mathematical Organization Theory
Introductory Circuit Analysis
The New Science of Management Decision
The New Science of Management Decision
Network Structure in Virtual Organizations
Organization Science
A Conceptual Framework for Analyzing Why Organizations Downsize
Organization Science
Information Systems Research
The Navigability of strong ties: small worlds, tie strength, and network topology
Complexity - Special issue: Selection, tinkering, and emergence in complex networks
Communication and coordination in the virtual office
Journal of Management Information Systems - Special section: Managing virtual workplaces and teleworking with information technology
Is anybody out there?: antecedents of trust in global virtual teams
Journal of Management Information Systems - Special section: Managing virtual workplaces and teleworking with information technology
Relating electronic mail use and network structure to R&D work networks and performance
Journal of Management Information Systems
Journal of Management Information Systems - Special issue: Information technology and organization design
Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means
Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means
Network Effects and Technology Licensing with Fixed Fee, Royalty, and Hybrid Contracts
Journal of Management Information Systems
Information Systems Research
A Benchmarking Model for Management of Knowledge-Intensive Service Delivery Networks
Journal of Management Information Systems
A genetic search of patterns of behaviour in OSS communities
Expert Systems with Applications: An International Journal
A Benchmarking Model for Management of Knowledge-Intensive Service Delivery Networks
Journal of Management Information Systems
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Information-processing networks (IPNs) denote dynamic network-based information-processing structures that operate as coordination mechanisms that transcend formal hierarchies. Despite growing interest in information technology-enabled IPNs, the literature has been silent in exploring the various ontological structures of IPNs and the structural efficiency embedded in each IPN, especially in the event of radical organizational changes. To fill this gap, this study identifies, from the perspective of graph theory, four ontological IPN archetypes that can serve as blueprints for information processing within and across organizations-random, small world, moderate scale free (MSF), and Barabasi. We then assess how each structure reacts to corporate restructuring (e.g., downsizing) and investigate, based on computer simulation, the extent to which each structure preserves a worker's efficiency and the stability of the network structure in the event of downsizing. Two moderating variables are included in the model-that is, scale of downsizing and the reconnection strategy in the presence of downsizing. In this study, downsizing is viewed not only as the simple elimination of individual workers but also as the elimination of the communication and information-processing conduits necessary for effective communication and coordination. We find that when firms implement a relatively small-scale workforce reduction, centralized coordination structures such as MSF and Barabasi are generally more resilient and facilitate better coordination. However, when the downsizing strategy involves massive and severe layoffs, decentralized coordination structures such as random and small world are more durable, and tend to provide a stronger safety net, irrespective of the strategies employed to create new ties. Although this study focused exclusively on the context of downsizing, the results of the study have important implications for other types of organizational restructuring (e.g., organizational expansion and merger and acquisition) that reconfigure IPNs.