Crossfunctional Relationships and the Quality of Communication : Coordinating the Airline Departure Process

This paper argues that coordination of highly interdependent work processes is best achieved by designing organizations with consistent attention to crossfunctional relationships and the quality of communication. I look deeply into crossfunctional coordination by studying it in the context of one highly interdependent process--airline departures. As in many other service settings, the functional groups which must interact are divided by status and expertise, increasing the challenge of coordination. Using field, archival and survey data which I collected from nine airport sites, spanning four major airlines, I identify features of organization design which improve performance through their effect on crossfunctional relationships and the quality of communication