Organisational Environments and Organisational Design

Abstract

Most comparative research on organisational structure has tended to examine the relationships between very broad conceptualisations of general dimensions of both structures and of the environments in which organisations operate. Such an approach has both advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage is that it has allowed the relatively rapid creation of a broad theory of organisations. This research has led to the formulation of the structural contingency model of organisations which suggests that to be effective an organisation must be structured in a way which is appropriate for its size, the operating technology it employs and the environment in which it operates. The disadvantage of the approach is that it has given little guidance to managers on such aspects of organisational design as the details of how to operate particular departments in order to deal effectively with relevant aspects of the organisation's environment.

Citation

Mansfield, R. (1980), "Organisational Environments and Organisational Design", Management Research News, Vol. 3 No. 2, pp. 6-6. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb027756