ALTERNATIVES TO HIERARCHYTHE ROLE AND PERFORMANCE OF LATERAL STRUCTURES INSIDE BUREAUCRACY
: Lateral structures are the various cross linking arrangements which enable staff at similar levels to undertake project, policy or operational work in cooperation with officials in other divisions or departments. Their reliance on the expertise, judgment and commitment of their membership, and their comparative freedom from direct line control helps define these structures as an alternative to conventional hierarchies. 
 
 
 
This study examines the commonly made but rarely tested claim that lateral structures are one of the main ingredients in the organisation's capacity to achieve high quality results in situations requiring superior levels of skill and efficiency (Mintzberg 1973; Galbraith 1977). The study provides an empirical assessment of a number of important aspects of these work arrangements and reports the results of an investigation into the performance of lateral structures in the Australian public sector between 1987 and 1989. These data indicate that lateral structures outperform conventional hierarchy in quality of results, capacity to manage internal conflict, time-management and technical competence. The research also identifies the importance of professional and political commitment in explanations of the success of these structures.