Effects of Task Difficulty and Interunit Interdependence on Information Processing Systems

Abstract
In this article the authors discuss research they conducted that examined the relationship between task difficulty and the extent of boundary-spanning activity within an organization. The authors believed that they greater degree of interunit interdependence that existed in an organization would result in a greater amount of boundary-spanning activity by that organization's members. They also believed that the greater degree of task difficulty in a given situation would also result in a greater amount of boundary-spanning activity by members. The authors hoped to examine the relationships that exist between organizational structure and the amount of intergroup activity fostered by those structures.