Organizational Context and Intraorganizational Power

The first link in the model of environmental effects on organizations is the effect of the environment on the distribution of power and control within the organization. Such an effect is posited in sociological analyses of organizations, most recently in the development of the strategic contingencies theory of intraorganizational power by Hickson and his colleagues

Executive Succession and Organizational Power

The second step in the model of organizational change specifies that one outcome of the distribution of power within the organization is the, selection and tenure of individuals in major administrative positions. Since power conveys the ability to influence organizational decisions (e.g., Pfeifer and Salancik, 1974), it is likely that power will be used

Executive Discretion and Organizational Decision Making

The final link in the model of environment-organizational effects suggested that the administrator can affect decisions that direct the structure and activities of the organization. Presumably, such direction is to make the organization more consistent with the requirements of its environment. Thus, hospital administrators bring ideas for change, establishing elaborate inventory and cost accounting systems

Executive Recruitment and Interfirm Coordination

Thus far in this chapter we have described executive succession as a mechanism for organizational change, affected by the distribution of power within the organization and the organization s context and, in turn, affecting organizational designs and decisions. Another role served by executive succession is the integration of the organization with its environment and

A Resource Dependence Perspective

To survive, organizations require resources. Typically, acquiring resources means the organization must interact with others who control those resources. In that sense, organizations depend on their environments. Because the organization does not control the resources it needs, resource acquisition may be problematic and uncertain. Others who control resources may be undependable, particularly when resources

The Design and Management of Externally Controlled Organizations: Three Managerial Roles

In the first chapter, we indicated what a model of administration might look like using the theoretical perspective developed in this book. We return to the three roles introduced then to see what we have learned about the importance and use of those roles. The three roles of management—symbolic, responsive, and discretionary—differ in the way

Designing Externally Controlled Organizations

This is not a treatise on organizational design. However, some implications of the resource dependence perspective for design are worthy of consideration, if only because the adequacy and value of the perspective can be assessed. We will consider four implications: (1) the design of scanning systems; (2) designs for loosening dependencies; (3) designs for

Designing Organizational Environments

If organizational actions are responses to their environments, then the external perspective on organizational functioning argues strongly that organizational behavior is determined through the design of organizational environments. The focus for attempts to change organizations, it would appear, should be the context of the organizations. By changing the context, the behavior of the organizations

The Design and Management of Externally Controlled Organizations: Organizational Futures

The literature is littered with predictions about what future organizations will look like and how they will operate and be managed. The fact that most of these predictions have not been realized is, we believe, a consequence of the inadequate theoretical base underlying them. We would like to conclude our exposition of the resource