Towards a Processual Understanding of Task Complexity: Constructing task complexity in practice

Danner-Schröder, Anja; Ostermann, Simone Maria

doi:10.1177/0170840620941314

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Further, it is estimated as high or low based on perceptual measures (Hærem et al, 2015), so its role in empirical research is very limited. However, when we focus on observed behavior, we see that enacted complexity can vary each time a task is performed (Danner-Schröder & Ostermann, 2020). Our analysis demonstrates how this variation contributes to our understanding of task performance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Second, measuring the complexity of an idealized task, apart from its enactment, implicitly assumes that the task is highly programmable (repetitive, minimal search, few exceptions, well-understood, etc.) When a task is less programmable, enacted complexity can vary as each performance unfolds (Danner-Schröder & Ostermann, 2020). In this situation, we cannot readily identify the required acts and information cues needed to complete it, or their required sequence, as required by standard definitions of task complexity (e.g., Wood, 1986).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Routinization is the degree to which a stream of actions follows recognizable patterns. Enacted complexity (Hærem, Pentland, & Miller, 2015; Danner-Schröder & Ostermann, 2020) reflects the number of possible ways the task can be performed, given the enacted network of actions. We test this model in two settings - one more programmable and one less programmable.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The effect of repertoire, routinization and enacted complexity: Explaining task performance through patterns of action

Hansson

Hærem

Pentland

2022

Organization Studies

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We use pattern mining tools from computer science to engage a classic problem in organizational theory: the relation between routinization and task performance. We develop and operationalize new measures of two key characteristics of organizational routines: repertoire and routinization. Repertoire refers to the number of recognizable patterns in a routine, and routinization refers to the fraction of observed actions that fit those patterns. We use these measures to develop a novel theory that predicts task performance based on the size of repertoire, the degree of routinization, and enacted complexity. We test this theory in two settings that differ in their programmability: crisis management and invoice management. We find that repertoire and routinization are important determinants of task performance in both settings, but with opposite effects. In both settings, however, the effect of repertoire and routinization is mediated by enacted complexity. This theoretical contribution is enabled by the methodological innovation of pattern mining, which allows us to treat routines as a collection of sequential patterns or paths. This innovation also allows us to clarify the relation of routinization and complexity, which are often confused because the terms routine and routinization connote simplicity. We demonstrate that routinization and enacted complexity are distinct constructs, conceptually and empirically. It is possible to have a high degree of routinization and complex enactments that vary each time a task is performed. This is because enacted complexity depends on the repertoire of patterns and how those patterns are combined to enact a task.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The effect of repertoire, routinization and enacted complexity: Explaining task performance through patterns of action

Hansson

Hærem

Pentland

2022

Organization Studies

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“…We provisionally labelled the three misfits, respectively, Category A misfits, Category B misfits, and Category C misfits. With these three categories, we take a view on misfits that differs from, but is compatible with, related approaches, including misfits in ERP implementation scenarios (Strong & Volkoff, 2010; van Beijsterveld & van Groenendaal, 2016), anomalies in business processes (Nolle et al, 2018), missing knowledge (Alter, 2014), material constraints (Azad & King, 2012), conflicting organisational pressures (Ejnefjäll & Ågerfalk, 2019), and task complexity (Danner‐Schröder & Ostermann, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Workarounds as generative mechanisms for bottom‐up process innovation—Insights from a multiple case study

Bartelheimer

Wolf

Beverungen

2023

Information Systems Journal

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Workarounds are goal‐driven deviations from the standard operating procedures performed to overcome obstacles constraining day‐to‐day work. Despite starting as temporary fixes, they can become established across an organisation and trigger the innovation of processes and IT artefacts that can resolve misfits permanently. Although prior research has elicited antecedents and types of workarounds, it is not known how workarounds diffuse in an organisation and, thereby, innovating co‐workers' activities, IT artefacts, and organisational structures. The results of our multiple two‐year case study provide unique empirical insights into the diffusion of workarounds and how they can act as generative mechanisms for bottom‐up process innovation.

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Effects of Concurrency in Complex Service Organizations: Evidence from Electronic Health Records

Pentland

Kim

Zhang

et al. 2023

Business Process Management Workshops

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Towards a Processual Understanding of Task Complexity: Constructing task complexity in practice

Cited by 5 publications

References 46 publications

The effect of repertoire, routinization and enacted complexity: Explaining task performance through patterns of action

The effect of repertoire, routinization and enacted complexity: Explaining task performance through patterns of action

Workarounds as generative mechanisms for bottom‐up process innovation—Insights from a multiple case study

Effects of Concurrency in Complex Service Organizations: Evidence from Electronic Health Records

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