_______________ interdependence occurs when two organizations depend on each other.

Reciprocal interdependence, as defined in organizational theory, describes the most complex relationship where the outputs of one unit or organization serve as the inputs for another, and vice-versa. This creates a mutual, two-way dependency. The actions of each entity directly and immediately impact the other, necessitating a high degree of communication, mutual adjustment, and coordination to manage the relationship effectively. This concept is a cornerstone of James D. Thompson's work on organizational design and technology.

A. Pooled: This describes a situation where units are independent in their daily work but contribute to a common organizational goal or resource pool, creating only indirect dependency.
C. Peer: This is not a standard classification within the established typology of organizational interdependence (Pooled, Sequential, Reciprocal) and lacks a formal definition in this context.
D. Sequential: This refers to a one-way dependency where the output of one unit becomes the input for the next, such as in an assembly line, not a mutual exchange.

1. Thompson, J. D. (1967). Organizations in Action: Social Science Bases of Administrative Theory. McGraw-Hill. In Chapter 5, "Technology and Structure," Thompson defines reciprocal interdependence as when "the outputs of each become inputs for the others... each unit involved is penetrated by the other" (p. 55).

2. Van de Ven, A. H., Delbecq, A. L., & Koenig, R. (1976). Determinants of coordination modes within organizations. American Sociological Review, 41(2), 322-338. This article builds on Thompson's work, stating that with reciprocal interdependence, "work flows back and forth between units" (p. 324). https://doi.org/10.2307/2094477

3. Stanford University, Graduate School of Business. (n.d.). OIT 262: Aligning Startups with their Markets, Lecture 4: Organizing. Courseware. The lecture notes define reciprocal interdependence as a "Two-way flow of information, work, and influence," contrasting it with the one-way flow of sequential and the independent nature of pooled interdependence (Slide 14).