Organizational Evolution and the Social Ecology of Jobs

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The persistence of organizational routines is studied by examining the survival of formalized jobs. Basic models of evolutionary change predict that organizational context, job founding processes, and whether a job is novel affect job survival. Negotiated order and social interaction theories predict, however, that the relationship of the jobholder to the organization and to the job duties should also affect the persistence of formalized jobs, e.g., the initial incumbent's familiarity to the hiring department and whether the job was tailored to a specific person. These predictions are analyzed using partial likelihood analysis of the hazard rate of "job death" among 347 formalized jobs in a large organization over roughly a six-year period. Results support most of the predictions. The findings suggest that organizational evolution should be examined through systematic study of organizational routines.