Following Woodward and Perrow's emphasis on variability in the routineness of work, Thompson recognized that the work processes associated with a technology vary in the extent to which they are interrelated. He called this variable task interdependence to emphasize the issue of dependence on others for the accomplishment of tasks. Thompson related the task interdependence created by technology to different possible coordination mechanisms that could be designed into an organization's social structure. His work on task interdependence identified links between different forms of coordination and the mediating, long-linked, and intensive technologies framed by his typology. In a mediating technology a number of offices or officials perform their work tasks almost independently of one another, at least so far as actual work flows between units is concerned Therefore, little direct contact is needed between units (or individuals). Thompson used the term pooled task interdependence to refer to cases in which the output of the organization is primarily the sum of the efforts of each unit (see Figure 5.6).
Take banking as a prime example of mediating technology. Banks mediate between borrowers and savers or investors, and their mediation can be accomplished simultaneously by several bank branches that operate almost independently of one another. Day and night shifts on an assembly line, franchised restaurants, and the different departments of a university, or a large retail store provide additional examples of organizational units whose work is typified by pooled task interdependence.