Abstract: This paper has two linked tasks: one strategic, the other tactical. The first is to provide a critical review of the state of knowledge within organization theory of the topic of gender and organizations. This is seen as a necessary project both because of the relative neglect of the topic and the scatter and variety of relevant literature. A second task, that is tactical in nature, is the reapplication of the typology of organizational analyses developed by Burrell and Morgan. The topic is reviewed in terms of functionalist, interpretive, radical structuralist, and radical humanist paradigms, together with the consideration of feminist critiques. Specific discussion is given to the questions of work and the division of labour, power and authority, and sexuality. The paper is concluded with a brief analysis of the implications of this literature for the general development of organization theory, and the specific implications for women and men researchers.

Abstract: A preliminary distinction is made between expressive and instrumental scapegoats. The latter are defined as the product of a rational strategy adopted by one or more power holders to prevent the blame for an incident from reaching higher hierarchical levels. The basic assumption in this article is that symbolic blame-giving processes within complex organizations must satisfy certain requirements in order to be credible. They can, thus, be studied in terms of purposive organizational behaviour and not solely as the emotional outcome of collective psychological dynamics. The analysis of five cases of scapegoating in the French political-administrative systems leads to the construction of a typology. The analysis of a number of Italian cases, however, shows that the French typology requires expansion in order to allow comparison with Italy. Possible means of achieving this comparison are suggested in the conclusion.

Abstract: Extant models of organizational decline tend to oversimplify the processes underlying the formulation of organizational responses to scarcity in the environment. A model is presented that attempts to enrich this area by using the organization's myth system as a reference point. A number of phases are considered: (a) organizational success and the perceived cause of the success; (b) the elaboration of this 'recipe for success' into a myth system which deeply impacts information gathering mechanisms and resource allocations in the organization; (c) the detection and interpretation of information indicative of scarcity in the environment; (d) the attribution of the scarcity to internal or external causes; and (e) the further discrimination of this attribution to enable formulation of a coping strategy.

Abstract: Sweden has introduced schemes of participation widely in its industrial and business organizations. We present in this article data concerning some of the social psychological effects of two forms of participation, indirect and direct, in ten Swedish factories. Indirect participation entails decision making through representatives of the employees; direct participation entails decision making by the employees them selves.Theories propose that participation has the effect of enhancing member reactions such as sense of commitment, favourable attitude and satisfaction in the company and of reducing dysfunctional reactions such as absenteeism. The data from these companies appear consistent with the above theories insofar as direct participation is concerned but not with respect to indirect participation. The data support the view that participation is likely to have the predicted effects on the reactions of members to the extent that participation is felt as a personal experience. Members are likely to feel ...

Abstract: This article evaluates a causal model of organizational structure using heterogeneous samples of organizations from the US and Iran. The results indicate that theoretical models of organizational structure are clearly relevant to the Third World, and the remarkable similarity of the causal estimates obtained suggests that organizational structure may well be 'culture free'. The most important differences in these data concern the effects of technology and the results suggest that technology may prove to be an essential determinant of organizational structure in many non-Western countries.

Abstract: This research note uses the Aston measure of Functional Specialization to examine the effect of the inclusion of smaller organizations than are normally present in studies employing this measure on the relationship between size and specialization. The presence of organizations between 25 and 100 employees raises the magnitude of the correlation coefficient slightly. A regression analysis is also carried out that implies that the prediction of specialization from size is somewhat sensitive to sample size. A correlation analysis of the size-specialization relationship is also undertaken for discrete size ranges.

Abstract: Some remarks on contingency theory will be made based on its definition as a theory on situation-dependent organizing. The main purpose of this article is to make a few comments on the way in which contingency studies have dealt with the concept of 'situational dependence'. The comments focus on the possible research models that might underlie the crucial concept 'situational dependency'. A set of interpretations of the concept of 'situational dependency' is presented and what type of empirical research model is implied by each of these interpretations and what their implications are for (e.g. statistical) data-processing techniques is shown. These insights are applied to existing empirical contingency research.

Abstract: This paper discusses methods of data collection when opinions of organization members are required for a study. The advantages and disadvantages of rigorously structured questionnaires and open-ended questions are examined. Methods to increase the reliability in the analysis of open-ended questions are suggested. An application from a Swedish newspaper company demonstrates how qualitative and quantitative methods can be combined in the analysis of unstructured information. The results point to , differences in orientation between different occupational groups in the company. In addition the results indicate that qualitative and quantitative methods provide similar results. Finally, the feedback of the results to interviewees has pointed to the usefulness of the method both for research and as a tool in organizational development.

Abstract: If comparability is a prerequisite to statements about similarities/dissimilarities between objects, then the compatibility of comparative analyses is a prerequisite for a cumulative picture of the findings of many studies which are treated jointly. This issue is important because, although no single study solves all of the problems of organizational sociology, the results of several such studies together could significantly contribute to the development of theory. However, due to mutual incompatibility, the cumulation of scientific knowledge of organizations does not occur to the extent that the growing number of empirical studies would imply. This article presents some preliminary exemplifications of a technique for detecting incompatibilities. It is suggested that a satisfactory solution to the problem of incompatibility may be found not in the standardization of research methods but in the translatability of research concepts at a theoretical level.

Abstract: This paper examines the construction of external environments on the part of the Du Pont Company through the four stages of capital accumulation: monopolization, diversification, research and development, and foreign expansion. This construction is viewed as a rationalizing strategy to reduce environmental uncertainty. Two main types of environmental uncertainty are identified. Material uncertainty pertains to uncertain ty regarding the flow of resources through the organization. Symbolic uncertainty pertains to uncertainties of meaning attached to organizational activities. Material construction of environmental conditions provided the Du Pont Company with a means of capital accumulation, while symbolic construction of environmental conditions provided the Du Pont Company with a means of capital legitimation

Abstract: This article reports the results of a longitudinal investigation of how interpretative schemes of organizational members change through time, and whether any contextual factors are related to this change. In an exploratory study of two bureaux of an American state highway department, which are different in terms of work demands, interpersonal interactions, and subordinate-superior relations, multidimensional scaling methodology is utilized to detect any changes in the perception of interpersonal interaction, which is assumed to represent the interpretative schemes of organization members. Results show that during a period of five years neither the perception of interpersonal interaction nor the contextual variables changed to a considerable degree. The only change which occurred is related to the surface articulation of interpersonal interaction, which is directly influenced by the day-to-day activities of the members.

Abstract: This paper investigates the consequences for employment in the GDR and USSR of expansion and changes in education. As in many Western countries, change in education disturbed the balance between systems of education and employment. In East Germany, efforts to remodel the employment system by changing the organi zation of work to fit the qualifications of employees began after an imbalance had been produced by raising the qualifications of skilled workers to a uniquely high level. In the Soviet Union the same imbalance is now occurring. An excess of applicants over places in universities was followed by an attempt to provide an alternative to university by expanding vocational training. In turn, this is raising skills beyond the level required by the existing organization of work, and is being followed by an attempt to change the latter by introducing so-called 'brigade organization'. This is intended to increase the autonomy and responsibility of production workers by what might be described as a partial ...

Abstract: This article reports an exploratory study of interorganizational cooperation among business organizations operating in an industry with a relatively large number of firms and a low level of concentration Distinction is made between perceived need for and the emergence of cooperative relations Four types of cooperative linkages are defined and, the extent of their existence is examined Relationships between these and perceived task environmental attributes and organizational properties are reported Possible motives for establishing cooperative links and organizational and industrywide barriers to cooperation are discussed

Abstract: something for everyone. The 20 contributors of papers, commentaries and discussion in this volume have provided exactly that: a variety of theoretical, empirical and argumentative pieces taking quite diverse positions on the relevance and potential relationship of behavioural science to IR. The editors’ analysis of the conference emphasizes this diversity as they see confusion in the attempts to bring behavioural research to bear on managerial practice (p. 7). Academic participants from differing disciplines had difficulties

Abstract: Stockholm, Sweden If Max Weber weren’t dead already it is doubtful whether he would have survived the shock caused by the contemporary abuse in the social sciences of the term ’bureaucracy’. To Weber, the bureaucratic ideal type was a specification of the rational-legal mode of administration which he saw as increasingly dominant in industrialized societies. The ideal type was not a prescription for efficiency, but rather a crystallized image of evolutionary tendencies that were inherent in economy and technology. As such, it affected both public and private administration: one of his foremost examples of bureaucratic administration is the large private industrial firm. Bureaucracy is inexorably tied to the market economy, and it would be grossly false to see any contradiction between bureaucracy and private business, or conversely to -, equate bureaucracy with a planned economy or public administration only. . Also, the dysfunctions of bureaucratic development were clearly indicated by Weber, in a fashion which certainly was not always value-free (see, for

Abstract: this statute has been woefully neglected. Pennings’ book deserves to occupy a central place in any future discussions of this legislation. Perhaps Pennings poses more questions about interlocking directorates than he subsequently answers but there can be no doubting the stimulus for further research contained in this book. In adopting a resource dependency approach to focus upon the more formal aspects of interlocking directorate behaviour the author has clearly stated his own method of analysing this phenomenon. Those who wish to pursue a different approach to this subject, however, should still undertake a close reading of Pennings’ book for there is a great deal of valuable material contained in its pages.

Abstract: The results confirm much of what managers and secretaries know from experience, but every now and then there is a moment of illumination or surprise. For example, the author reports that in the first organization mentioned above the hierarchical pyramid, normally shaped for managers, was upside down for secretaries: their number increased with seniority. Could this be a general phenomenon in head offices? The five personal interviews revealed, among other things, that the typical private secretary has no less than ten roles in the organization; the degree to which she actually plays these roles depends, predictably, on ’situational and personal variables’. The detailed enquiry amongst thirty top private secretaries (all attached to managing directors) highlights the way these women use, and value, the gatekeeper position. On average, they allowed only 30% of all visitors, 25% of all incoming mail and 14% of incoming telephone calls to go straight through to the boss. The major part was re-routed, processed or dealt with by the secretaries themselves. This emphasizes the enormous importance of perfect mutual understanding between a top man and his secretary, who should have long experience and considerable knowledge of his work, without ever creating the impression that she is trying to do it for him. Indeed, the few attempts of managing directors to relieve their workloads by appointing their secretaries ’personal assistants’ were not successful. Miss Vinnicombe briefly mentions recent phenomena that may soon cause great changes in these areas of office-land: the advent of word processing, the tendency for young secretaries to speed up their careers by well-timed changes of employer and the fact that the traditional pattern of male/female relationships in this context is being challenged. Somewhere in this pleasantly factual book (pp. 80-83) is a checklist of 41 points defining an effective private secretary. To my mind, it reflects rather too much secretarial ambition, but I agree with Vinnicombe that any manager and his secretary would be well advised to go carefully through this list together, for the sake of optimal clarity and understanding.

Abstract: More needs to be known about the conditions under which in-house personnel research units make an impact on organizational problem-solving processes This article attempts to identify the key variables by using a common framework to study six diverse units A model is presented to highlight the main findings, and suggestions are made as to how a more quantitative study could operationalize the variables in the model

Abstract: This review presents the results of a survey of fifty cross-national organizational researchers with regard to what they assessed to be popular topics of cross-nation and single nation research and what topics they felt could benefit from a cross-national organizational research perspective. It compares research responses about popular topics with an independent title search over recent years of the major academic journals in the field, and ends with a discussion of what the authors see as emerging trends in the field.

Abstract: The concept of dependence is developed by explication of the concept used in the Aston Programme, and by elaboration from new data. Data from a study of 66 companies in The Netherlands go beyond the Aston dependence scales to construct indices for three different types of commercial binding mechanisms as used by companies: (1) striving for active control of 'partners', (2) reacting to relations of dependence, and (3) safeguarding production rationality. Mintzberg's hypothesis regarding external control is tested and a new one regarding commercial ties and autonomy is offered. The existence of a large variety of interorganizational control mechanisms is em phasized.

Abstract: In this article a theory of interorganizational co-operation is utilized to render some cases of local implementation understandable. The policy studied is labour market training and placement. Data from four locales in Sweden and the Federal Republic of Germany are analysed. In each nation one more- and one less-successful community are examined. First, the author compares the administrative requirements of the labour market task with the two national policies to assess their suitability. Then reasons for the degree of policy success and degree of interorganizational co-operation observed are sought. Perceived common interest in the locale and the presence of an interorganiza tional facilitative agent seem to be among the factors which affect co-operation. Some conclusions and implications for policy makers, implementers, and students of administration are sketched.