Question

baseball would be a close analogy for:

sequential interdependence
pooled interdependence
reciprocal interdependence
the highest level of team interdependence

Explanation:

Analyze the sports analogies in organizational theory

Using the Thompsons Interdependence Theory and Interdependence Types knowledge points

• James D. Thompson uses sports analogies to explain different types of interdependence within organizations.
• In baseball, players operate relatively independently on the field, each playing their own position with minimal direct, ongoing interaction during a play compared to other sports.
• The primary connection is that their individual efforts are aggregated to determine the team's overall success.

Identify the corresponding type of interdependence

Using the Interdependence Types knowledge point

• Pooled interdependence occurs when organizational departments or individuals function with high autonomy but contribute to a common joint output.
• Because baseball players act largely independently and their individual performance metrics are pooled together to achieve the team outcome, baseball is the classic analogy for pooled interdependence.
• By contrast, American football represents sequential interdependence, and basketball represents reciprocal interdependence.

Answer:

• sequential interdependence
• pooled interdependence (Correct answer)
• reciprocal interdependence
• the highest level of team interdependence