The Horizontal linkage model involves

• A. Vertical command-and-control with centralized decision-making.
• B. Shared development across multiple departments with potential overcommitment to risk.
• C. Outsourcing all development to suppliers.
• D. Isolated R&D within a single department only.

Answer: (B)

This question tests how organizations coordinate development across functions. The horizontal linkage model describes shared development across multiple departments—such as R&D, marketing, production, and finance—working together across boundaries to integrate knowledge and speed up the creation and implementation of new ideas. This cross-functional collaboration can lead to better-aligned solutions and faster product development, since diverse expertise is brought into the process.

However, involving many different parts of the organization also adds complexity. With multiple stakeholders and interdependencies, decision-making can become slower and there’s a greater chance of overcommitment to risk due to conflicting priorities or competing demands for resources.

The other approaches don’t fit this model: centralized, top-down control keeps decisions within a narrow hierarchy; outsourcing all development removes internal cross-functional integration; and keeping R&D isolated in one department misses the broad collaboration across functions that defines horizontal linkage.