Beyond Dyadic Exchance: Functional Interdependence and Sub-unit Power
W. Graham Astley and Edward J. Zajac, Organization Studies 1990, 11/4: 481-501, 1990

This study critically examines the relevance of exchange theory in explaining the power of organizational sub-units. The study argues that sub-unit power is generated not by the balance of exchange dependencies between sub-units, but by workflow interdependencies created by the organization's division of labour. The findings support the arguments of the study. The paper concludes that dyadic power relationships between organizational sub-units can only be fully understood in terms of their location in organization-wide systems of functional interdependence.

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