IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/ijecbs/v23y2016i2p199-241.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Combining Information Technology and Decentralized Workplace Organization: SMEs versus Larger Firms

Author

Listed:
  • Fabienne Rasel

Abstract

This paper examines whether information technology (IT) and decentralized and incentive-based workplace organization are complementary only for large firms or also for smaller firms. Previous empirical evidence suggesting complementarity between IT and decentralization is mainly based on large firms. Using data from a sample of 3,288 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and 595 larger firms from the manufacturing and service sector in Germany, it appears that SMEs with decentralized and incentive-based work practices tend to use IT more intensively. Moreover, for the sample of SMEs, IT and workplace organization are individually associated with higher productivity, but the combination of IT and decentralization does not yield a productivity premium. In contrast, the productivity of IT depends positively on decentralization for large firms. The findings suggest that combining IT and decentralized workplace organization seems only to be a successful strategy for larger firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Fabienne Rasel, 2016. "Combining Information Technology and Decentralized Workplace Organization: SMEs versus Larger Firms," International Journal of the Economics of Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(2), pages 199-241, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:ijecbs:v:23:y:2016:i:2:p:199-241
    DOI: 10.1080/13571516.2015.1106065
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/13571516.2015.1106065
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/13571516.2015.1106065?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Nicholas Bloom & Luis Garicano & Raffaella Sadun & John Van Reenen, 2014. "The Distinct Effects of Information Technology and Communication Technology on Firm Organization," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 60(12), pages 2859-2885, December.
    2. López, Alberto, 2012. "Productivity effects of ICTs and organizational change: A test of the complementarity hypothesis in Spain," MPRA Paper 40400, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Timothy F. Bresnahan & Erik Brynjolfsson & Lorin M. Hitt, 2002. "Information Technology, Workplace Organization, and the Demand for Skilled Labor: Firm-Level Evidence," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 117(1), pages 339-376.
    4. Sinan Aral & Erik Brynjolfsson & Lynn Wu, 2012. "Three-Way Complementarities: Performance Pay, Human Resource Analytics, and Information Technology," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 58(5), pages 913-931, May.
    5. Blundell, Richard & Bond, Stephen, 1998. "Initial conditions and moment restrictions in dynamic panel data models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 115-143, August.
    6. Sandra E. Black & Lisa M. Lynch, 2001. "How To Compete: The Impact Of Workplace Practices And Information Technology On Productivity," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 83(3), pages 434-445, August.
    7. Spyros Arvanitis, 2005. "Computerization, workplace organization, skilled labour and firm productivity: Evidence for the Swiss business sector," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(4), pages 225-249.
    8. Irene Bertschek & Jan Hogrefe & Fabienne Rasel, 2015. "Trade and technology: new evidence on the productivity sorting of firms," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 151(1), pages 53-72, February.
    9. Olley, G Steven & Pakes, Ariel, 1996. "The Dynamics of Productivity in the Telecommunications Equipment Industry," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 64(6), pages 1263-1297, November.
    10. Hall, Bronwyn H. & Mairesse, Jacques, 1995. "Exploring the relationship between R&D and productivity in French manufacturing firms," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 65(1), pages 263-293, January.
    11. Prasanna Tambe & Lorin M. Hitt & Erik Brynjolfsson, 2012. "The Extroverted Firm: How External Information Practices Affect Innovation and Productivity," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 58(5), pages 843-859, May.
    12. Prasanna Tambe & Lorin M. Hitt, 2012. "The Productivity of Information Technology Investments: New Evidence from IT Labor Data," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 23(3-part-1), pages 599-617, September.
    13. Matteo Bugamelli & Patrizio Pagano, 2004. "Barriers to investment in ICT," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(20), pages 2275-2286.
    14. Paola Giuri & Salvatore Torrisi & Natalia Zinovyeva, 2008. "ICT, skills, and organizational change: evidence from Italian manufacturing firms," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 17(1), pages 29-64, February.
    15. Mahr, Ferdinand & Kretschmer, Tobias, 2010. "Complementarities between IT and Organizational Structure: The Role of Corporate Exploration and Exploitation," Discussion Papers in Business Administration 11507, University of Munich, Munich School of Management.
    16. Manuel Arellano & Stephen Bond, 1991. "Some Tests of Specification for Panel Data: Monte Carlo Evidence and an Application to Employment Equations," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 58(2), pages 277-297.
    17. Luis Garicano, 2000. "Hierarchies and the Organization of Knowledge in Production," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 108(5), pages 874-904, October.
    18. Ilsoon Shin, 2006. "Adoption of Enterprise Application Software and Firm Performance," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 241-256, April.
    19. Radner, Roy, 1993. "The Organization of Decentralized Information Processing," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 61(5), pages 1109-1146, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Fabienne Rasel, 2017. "ICT and global sourcing – evidence for German manufacturing and service firms," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(7), pages 634-660, October.
    2. Hüseyin Taştan & Feride Gönel, 2020. "ICT labor, software usage, and productivity: firm-level evidence from Turkey," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 53(2), pages 265-285, April.
    3. Viete, Steffen & Erdsiek, Daniel, 2020. "Mobile Information Technologies and Firm Performance: The Role of Employee Autonomy," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    4. Beldina Owalla & Cristian Gherhes & Tim Vorley & Chay Brooks, 2022. "Mapping SME productivity research: a systematic review of empirical evidence and future research agenda," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 58(3), pages 1285-1307, March.
    5. Viete, Steffen & Erdsiek, Daniel, 2018. "Trust-based work time and the productivity effects of mobile information technologies in the workplace," ZEW Discussion Papers 18-013, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    6. Gerten, Elisa & Beckmann, Michael & Bellmann, Lutz, 2018. "Controlling working crowds: The impact of digitalization on worker autonomy and monitoring across hierarchical levels," Working papers 2018/09, Faculty of Business and Economics - University of Basel.
    7. Gerten Elisa & Beckmann Michael & Bellmann Lutz, 2019. "Controlling Working Crowds: The Impact of Digitalization on Worker Autonomy and Monitoring Across Hierarchical Levels," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 239(3), pages 441-481, June.
    8. Andres, Raphaela & Niebel, Thomas & Sack, Robin, 2024. "Big data and firm-level productivity: A cross-country comparison," ZEW Discussion Papers 24-053, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rasel, Fabienne, 2014. "Combining technology and work organization: An analysis of complementarity between IT and decentralization across firms of different size," ZEW Discussion Papers 14-071, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    2. Nicholas Bloom & Luis Garicano & Raffaella Sadun & John Van Reenen, 2014. "The Distinct Effects of Information Technology and Communication Technology on Firm Organization," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 60(12), pages 2859-2885, December.
    3. Hüseyin Taştan & Feride Gönel, 2020. "ICT labor, software usage, and productivity: firm-level evidence from Turkey," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 53(2), pages 265-285, April.
    4. Frank Nagle, 2019. "Open Source Software and Firm Productivity," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 65(3), pages 1191-1215, March.
    5. Dostie Benoit & Jayaraman Rajshri, 2012. "Organizational Redesign, Information Technologies and Workplace Productivity," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 12(1), pages 1-41, February.
    6. Stefan Schweikl & Robert Obermaier, 2020. "Lessons from three decades of IT productivity research: towards a better understanding of IT-induced productivity effects," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 70(4), pages 461-507, November.
    7. Viete, Steffen & Erdsiek, Daniel, 2020. "Mobile Information Technologies and Firm Performance: The Role of Employee Autonomy," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    8. Zand, Fardad & Van Beers, Cees & Van Leeuwen, George, 2011. "Information technology, organizational change and firm productivity: A panel study of complementarity effects and clustering patterns in Manufacturing and Services," MPRA Paper 46469, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Fibla Gasparín, Ma. Teresa, 2010. "Productivity in southern European small firms: When and how work organization complements process innovation," Working Papers 2072/179600, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Department of Economics.
    10. Erik Brynjolfsson & Wang Jin & Kristina McElheran, 2021. "The power of prediction: predictive analytics, workplace complements, and business performance," Business Economics, Palgrave Macmillan;National Association for Business Economics, vol. 56(4), pages 217-239, October.
    11. Piva, Mariacristina & Santarelli, Enrico & Vivarelli, Marco, 2005. "The skill bias effect of technological and organisational change: Evidence and policy implications," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 141-157, March.
    12. Eric J. Bartelsman & Martin Falk & Eva Hagsten & Michael Polder, 2019. "Productivity, technological innovations and broadband connectivity: firm-level evidence for ten European countries," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 9(1), pages 25-48, March.
    13. Bloom, Nicholas & Van Reenen, John, 2011. "Human Resource Management and Productivity," Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 19, pages 1697-1767, Elsevier.
    14. Yosuke Okada, 2005. "Competition and Productivity in Japanese Manufacturing Industries," NBER Working Papers 11540, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Peng Huang & Marco Ceccagnoli & Chris Forman & D.J. Wu, 2022. "IT Knowledge Spillovers, Absorptive Capacity, and Productivity: Evidence from Enterprise Software," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 33(3), pages 908-934, September.
    16. Viete, Steffen & Erdsiek, Daniel, 2015. "Mobile information and communication technologies, flexible work organization and labor productivity: Firm-level evidence," ZEW Discussion Papers 15-087, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    17. Nicholas Bloom & Raffaella Sadun & John Van Reenen, 2010. "Recent Advances in the Empirics of Organizational Economics," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 2(1), pages 105-137, September.
    18. Indranil Bardhan & Viswanathan Krishnan & Shu Lin, 2013. "Research Note ---Business Value of Information Technology: Testing the Interaction Effect of IT and R&D on Tobin's Q," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 24(4), pages 1147-1161, December.
    19. Okada, Yosuke, 2005. "Competition and productivity in Japanese manufacturing industries," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 586-616, December.
    20. Tobias Stucki & Daniel Wochner, 2019. "Technological and organizational capital: Where complementarities exist," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(3), pages 458-487, June.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:ijecbs:v:23:y:2016:i:2:p:199-241. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/CIJB20 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.