A Conceptual Scheme for Organizational Analysis

Abstract

Studies of work behavior have been primarily processual as opposed to factorial. There has been a great concentration on the one-case study and little systematic attempt to relate behavior to contextual and organizational settings. A survey of the literature on bureaucracy leads to an analysis of organizational structure in terms of a set of variables (specialization, standardization, formalization, centralization, configuration, and flexibility) that are capable of empirical verification. Comparative studies will establish organizational along these variables and relate them to contextual variables such as size, ownership and control, charter, and technology. The profiles will also allow comparative studies of individual and group behavior to be undertaken in clear relation to organizational settings. The authors are members of the Industrial Administration Research Unit, College of Advanced Technology, Birmingham, England. Industrial research conducted by this unit is jointly supported by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and The College.