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| Dual Coupling Theory of Constraints-Agency and Certainty-Uncertainty |
| LIANG Chaogao，HAN Wei，LIU Peng，ZHANG Jingbo，XU Siqi |
| 1. Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China;2. Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China; 3. Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, China |
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Abstract Considering the dialectical relationship between constraints and agency, drawing on He-Xie management theory, and employing the agency concept of Giddens, this study develops a prototype theory of He-Xie coupling, which conceptualizes organizing as a dual interactive process of “organizational constraints-individual agency” and “certainty-uncertainty”. A middle-range theory of He-Xie coupling is constructed through a case study of a networked organization, which discloses three interactive mechanisms, namely assimilation, problematization, and standardization. Then a new understanding of organizational structures and adaptations based on the mechanism of problematization is provided, followed by a discussion of its practical implications.
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Received: 01 February 2019
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