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ERIC Number: ED168662
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1979-Apr-10
Pages: 30
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Context and Structure of Educational Organizations: Application of Aston Methodologies to Community Colleges.
Goodwin, John R.; O'Reilly, Robert R.
Interviews were conducted with the presidents and senior administrators of 20 Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology located in the province of Ontario (Canada) to assess the relationship between organizational size and organizational structure. It was found that a relationship existed between the size variable and certain structural dimensions. Size was positively related to specialization, delegation, vertical span, and supervisory span (subordinate ratio), and was negatively related to centralization. However, the forecasted size-formulation relationship was very small. The fact that the size variable showed a strong relationship with certain organizational structural variables led to the conclusion that size is important in influencing structural dimensions in the organization. The results contributed to organization theory in three ways: (1) the number of full-time employees was supported as an adequate measure of size; (2) the generalization of the relationship between organizational size and dimensions of organizational structure was upheld; and (3) the proposition that size is predictive of structure was supported. Another result of the study was that the applicability of the Aston methodology for research on educational organizations was demonstrated. A bibliography is included. (MB)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A