Performance Variability and Project Dynamics
Computational & Mathematical Organization Theory
Information and Management
Two Faces of Search: Alternative Generation and Alternative Evaluation
Organization Science
Intrafirm Competition and Charter Evolution in the Multibusiness Firm
Organization Science
Information technology and the autonomy—control duality: toward a theory
Information Technology and Management
Hoping for A to Z While Rewarding Only A: Complex Organizations and Multiple Goals
Organization Science
Journal of Engineering and Technology Management
Information and Management
Hierarchical Structure and Search in Complex Organizations
Management Science
Complementarities Between Organizational IT Architecture and Governance Structure
Information Systems Research
Incremental or radical? A study of organizational innovation: An artificial world approach
Expert Systems with Applications: An International Journal
Modularity and incremental innovation: the roles of design rules and organizational communication
Computational & Mathematical Organization Theory
Evolution of the mashup ecosystem by copying
Proceedings of the 3rd and 4th International Workshop on Web APIs and Services Mashups
Reconsidering modular design rules in a dynamic service context
DESRIST'11 Proceedings of the 6th international conference on Service-oriented perspectives in design science research
Towards the competitive software development
PROFES'11 Proceedings of the 12th international conference on Product-focused software process improvement
Facilitating collaboration through contract visualization and modularization
Proceedings of the 29th Annual European Conference on Cognitive Ergonomics
Telecommunications Policy
Dealing with Complexity: Integrated vs. Chunky Search Processes
Organization Science
Journal of Organizational and End User Computing
Designing for Complexity: Using Divisions and Hierarchy to Manage Complex Tasks
Organization Science
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The problem of designing, coordinating, and managing complex systems has been central to the management and organization literature. Recent writings have tended to offer modularity as at least a partial solution to this design problem. However, little attention has been paid to the problem of identifying what constitutes an appropriate modularization of a complex system. We develop a formal simulation model that allows us to carefully examine the dynamics of innovation and performance in complex systems. The model points to the trade-off between the destabilizing effects of overly refined modularization and the modest levels of search and a premature fixation on inferior designs that can result from excessive levels of integration. The analysis highlights an asymmetry in this trade-off, with excessively refined modules leading to cycling behavior and a lack of performance improvement. We discuss the implications of these arguments for product and organization design.