Communication and Interdependence in Democratic Organizations

Abstract

Until recently, research in organizational studies has tended to assume that interdependent relationships are patterned on the model of bureaucratic hierarchy. This essay explores two alternative models of interdependence found in democratic employee-owned organizations. Structuration theory is used as a framework for understanding differences between bureaucratic and democratic organizational systems and the principles through which they are structured. The analysis suggests that the types of systems differ in the nature of interaction occurring within them, in their methods of information processing, and in the amount of overt conflict they engender. Furthermore, new discourses may be required to reconceptualize the administrative, managerial, and technical practices required for democratic organizations to compete effectively with traditional bureaucracy.