This study aims to extend Mintzberg’s theory of organisational configurations to the specific context of ephemeral online communities. As such communities self-organise rapidly and temporarily, without fixed hierarchies, authority relationships or formal structures, they represent a novel and challenging subject of study from an organisational perspective. In this paper, the author argues that configuration theory can nevertheless be a powerful framework to understand how such communities organise collective action.
An analysis of a social experiment organised by the Reddit platform called “The Place” is used to study emergent coordination mechanisms in ephemeral online communities. Drawing on data gathered from Reddit and from the experiment’s outcomes, this paper focuses upon the coordinating mechanisms deployed by different communities to establish themselves in a position of power.
Using configuration theory, the author outlines four main ways for the participants to coordinate their actions in ephemeral online contexts. The findings suggest that, beyond the study of more traditional organisational contexts, configuration theory is a powerful framework for understanding more emergent and contemporary forms of organising.
This paper assesses the validity of a well-rounded theory in organisation studies, configuration theory, to study a novel type of organisations – ephemeral online communities. In doing so, it offers new insights into how online environments can facilitate and structure collective action without traditional organisational structures, thus advancing the study of online coordination mechanisms.
