Designing Workflow Coordination: Centralized Versus Market-Based Mechanisms.

Author List: Tan, Jui Chiew; Harker, Patrick T.;
Information Systems Research, 1999, Volume 10, Issue 4, Page 328-342.
As a result of the increasing diffusion of decision-making within and between organizations, distributed scheduling methods have been proposed as alternatives to centralized, hierarchical, top-down production control schemes. While distributed scheduling methodologies are appealing, one must first address the fundamental questions of when and where such methods are appropriate. This paper seeks to provide answers to these questions. Using a generalized workflow framework, this paper models and compares the total expected costs of using decentralized and centralized organizational designs to coordinate the flows of information and work. This comparison allows one to define the characteristics of work environments where distributed scheduling methods are more suitable than hierarchical, top-down production approaches. Finally, from this analysis, one can conclude that distributed scheduling methods work well for systems where information technology is inexpensive relative to production cost, processing times are relatively long, and where the number of agents in the system is not too large.
Keywords: Bidding; Distributed Scheduling; Distributed Work; Intelligent Agent; Market Mechanisms Auction; Organizational Design; Organizational Structures; Workflow Coordination
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#71 0.218 distributed agents agent intelligent environments environment smart computational environmental scheduling human rule using does embodied provide trends computer-aided heterogeneous inventory
#277 0.188 structure organization structures organizational centralized decentralized study organizations forms decentralization processing communication sharing cbis activities appropriate provide identify organizing communications
#256 0.078 coordination mechanisms work contingencies boundaries temporal coordinating vertical associated activities different coordinate suggests dispersed coordinated horizontal relative demand spatial hours
#146 0.068 work people workers environment monitoring performance organizations needs physical useful number personal balance perceptions create computer-based technological technologies investigation achievement
#151 0.067 costs cost switching reduce transaction increase benefits time economic production transactions savings reduction impact services reduced affect expected optimal associated
#270 0.063 design designs science principles research designers supporting forms provide designing improving address case little space criteria methods increasing synthesis designer
#86 0.060 methods information systems approach using method requirements used use developed effective develop determining research determine assessment useful series critical existing
#167 0.057 workflow tools set paper management specification command support formal implemented scenarios associated sequence large derived taxonomies called given systematic specifications
#294 0.052 development systems methodology methodologies information framework approach approaches paper analysis use presented applied assumptions based proposed described examines basis proposes