Dynamics of niche width and resource partitioning

Dobrev, S.; Kim, T-Y.; Hannan, M.T.

doi:10.1086/320821

Dynamics of niche width and resource partitioning

Dobrev, S.; Kim, T-Y.; Hannan, M.T.

Authors

S. Dobrev

T-Y. Kim

M.T. Hannan

Abstract

This article examines the effects of crowding in a market center on rates of change in organizational niche width and on organizational mortality. It proposes that, although firms with wide niches benefit from risk spreading and economies of scale, they are simultaneously exposed to intense competition. An analysis of organizational dynamics in automobile manufacturing firms in France, Germany, and Great Britain shows that competitive pressure not only increases the hazard of disbanding but also prompts organizational transformations that give rise to processes of resource partitioning. Emphasizing the content/process distinction in conceptualizing organizational change, the article finds that the process effect of changes in niche width and position increases mortality hazards. We discuss our findings in light of the processes investigated by the ecological theories of density dependence, resource partitioning, and structural inertia, and point to the theoretical links that help to integrate these theories.

Citation

Dobrev, S., Kim, T., & Hannan, M. (2001). Dynamics of niche width and resource partitioning. American Journal of Sociology, 106(5), 1299-1337. https://doi.org/10.1086/320821

Journal Article Type	Article
Publication Date	2001-03
Deposit Date	Jun 23, 2008
Publicly Available Date	Jun 23, 2008
Journal	American Journal of Sociology
Print ISSN	0002-9602
Publisher	The University of Chicago Press
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	106
Issue	5
Pages	1299-1337
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1086/320821
Publisher URL	http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/AJS/journal/issues/v106n5/050161/brief/050161.abstract.html