Organizational Autonomy: A Review and Agenda for Future Research

Abstract

Organizational autonomy is a fundamental organizational design choice that holds a central position in management theories and practice. To date, this construct has suffered from definitional vagueness and conceptual fragmentation in its academic study across different management subfields. Drawing from a review of 87 articles appearing in top academic management journals, we had four objectives. We sought to establish clarity and consensus on the construct of organizational autonomy, to review the fragmented fields of studies on its determinants and outcomes, to identify unresolved or neglected debates, and to provide an organizing template for guiding future research. In a first section, we discuss the development of the organizational autonomy construct and review its diverse definitions, primary determinants, and outcomes. In a second section, we provide a set of recommendations spanning methodological directions and conceptual opportunities on the overlooked dynamics of organizational autonomy. Overall, our review provides a unified framework and direction for enhancing the understanding of one of the management field’s fundamental concepts.