The common factors in the structure of fast-growers; A multiple case study on the organizational structure of fast-growers in The Netherlands

Abstract

The current developments in IT and the emerging technologies triggered a new industrial revolution. Driven on these new technologies, fast growing companies are emerging in any sector and experience growth which was not considered possible before. The fast-growers are changing the status quo and have the potential to disrupt the market in any given sector. Since this is a relatively new trend, research on this topic is still limited. While some scholars have studied fast-growing companies, they tend to apply a descriptive approach towards the growth of these organizations. This study aimed to investigate the organizational structure of fast-growers by performing a multiple case study at four fast-growers in the Netherlands. Semi-structured interviews and document analysis led to the insight that fast-growers tend to have enlarged jobs, use multiple coordination mechanisms and tend to have decentralized decision making with a flat structure. These findings add to the small body of research that is currently available on fast-growers. Further research should focus on testing these findings, as well as investigating the actual effect of each character of the structure on the growth of fast-growers. Keywords: Third industrial revolution, fast-growers, organizational structure