Minimal Structure

Conceptual Overview

Simplicity has been presented as an important characteristic of new organizational forms. Simple structures are those that regulate without constraining. They offer the coordination mechanisms necessary to assure concerted action but are not a source of inertia. They are structured around a small number of simple rules derived from the organization's core of guiding principles. In short, they care about the organization's evolvability. To maintain intact their capacity of evolvability, minimally structured organizations develop the capacity of continuous morphing through improvised action. No less important, change is generated at many places in the organization with strategic shifts being introduced, in some cases, without the explicit participation of top executives. Structural simplicity facilitates capacity of response, because it empowers people to tackle problems at the local level. When competent employees feel empowered to act, they tend to express a number of organizational virtues: higher self-efficacy, the capacity to discern associations between action and results, and cognitive growth and awareness. Last but not least, empowered employees may respond more quickly to challenges simply because they do not have to wait for others (and for orders) to take action. Fast action, in turn, may be critical to seize unexpected opportunities and neutralize competitive threats as quickly as possible. In rapid environments, where competitive advantage may be eroded by nimbler competitors, minimal structuring may thus facilitate rapid action.

The notion of minimal structures was initially inspired by the work of jazz musicians, stressing their improvisational skills. For Weick, the value of a minimal structure is that small structures can lead to large outcomes and effective action. Eisenberg has observed that improvisational freedom is only possible against an often simple backdrop of rules and roles. Jazz is designed to allow maximum flexibility with a minimum framework. Brown and Eisenhardt see this minimalism in terms of a semistructure.

An important aspect of minimal structures is that they are largely implicit and tacit. Returning to the jazz metaphor, band members will appreciate the importance of competence, trust, soloist leadership, a wide repertoire, and so forth, yet these may never be explicitly stated. Incompetent players weed themselves out or are simply not invited to a gig. This absence of explicit rules does not lead to chaos or confusion; on the contrary, it frees up the musicians' creative capabilities and accords jazz improvisation the unique ability to manage the paradox of flexibility and structure. Structure supports without specifying.

Critical Commentary and Future Directions

The “logic of confidence” contained in the notion of minimal structures accords organizational members wide maneuvering zones within which to experiment and create. The challenge for managers is to establish what the right type of structure is. Weick pointed out that either there is too little structure or the wrong kind of structure. Clearly, the right amount and type of structure is a matter for each individual firm to determine, but also a challenge for organizational researchers.

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