A model for explaining structural variations between work units within the complex organization is presented. Based upon an analysis of the impact of task difficulty and task variability on intraorganizational structure, a taxonomy of alternative work-unit structures is derived. The taxonomy suggests that work units within a complex organization…

Following recent thinking that sees organizations' structures as dependent on their environments, the authors consider characteristics of institutional sectors that affect the organizations arising within them. They first point out problems in present models relating organizations to their environments and discuss several "forerunners"…

Classifies organizational theories, by analytical level and assumptions about human nature, into four perspectives (system-structural, strategic choice, natural selection, collective action), each with different concepts of organizational structure, behavior, change, and managerial roles. Identifies six debates generated among the perspectives and…

This paper reviews and synthesizes the literature relating operations technology to organizational structure and offers a refined definition of operations technology that is intended to facilitate the comparison of different organizational types. The authors present a theoretical model that imposes consistency on the existing literature and…

Authority-task problems are organizational problems created by inconsistencies between the task process system and both the authority system and the formal hierarchy of offices. A new theory is used to develop a model that predicts how an administrator responds to an authority-task problem. (Author/IRT)

Using a case study of a client with common problems in placing women in non-traditional positions, this speech raises questions of diagnosis and intervention and presents an alternative organizational model that is then applied to the case study. The organizational model emphasizes four components: (1) mission (purpose or rationale for existence…