Works
- Characteristics of organizational environments and perceived environmental uncertainty, Administrative Science Quarterly 17(3), 313 to 327, 1972
- The ambidextrous organization: designing dual structures for innovation, In Ralph H. Kilmann, Louis R. Pondy, and Dennis P. Slevin (eds.), The Management of Organization Design, Volume 1, North-Holland, New York, 167 to 188, 1976
In Organizational Structures
Known for
Environmental uncertainty and organization design
Ideas
Dual structures. Duncan first used the term ambidextrous organization, arguing that organizations manage conflicting demands by putting in place dual structures, some units focused on alignment and others on adaptation. Caveat: Stated as Gibson and Birkinshaw (2004) describe it; the chapter itself was not read.
Perceived environmental uncertainty. Duncan identified simple to complex and static to dynamic dimensions of the environment in 22 decision groups. Caveat: Perceived, not objective, uncertainty.
In this section, “read” means read by the Organizational Structures series: where a line says a work, or part of one, was not read, the series did not read it.