Contingency approach

The situational approaches to organizational theory developed British and American social scientists in the 1960s. The focus of their studies, the relationships between specific variables (eg technology, market) of the respective situational environment and the organizational structure and efficiency were. The situational approach is considered by the teaching organization mostly obsolete.

Basic theses

Two fundamental tenets characterize the contributions of the situational approach:

1 Different organizational structures and different behaviors of the organization members are due to differences in the situation in which the companies are located.

2 organizational structures and behaviors are different efficiencies depending on the situation. "

These hypotheses thus do not allow for generalized optimal form of organization. The rigid typology of organizational structures instead abandoned to the description of organizations by characteristic variables with varying degrees of severity.

The contributions of the situational approach can be divided in Alfred Kieser and Herbert Kubicek in analytical and pragmatic variants.

Analytical variants

This is about the pursuit of a theoretical science target. For the structural variables of the organization to be construed as dependent variables. The situational variables, however, be considered for the explanation of differences in the studied organizational structures as independent variables.

Three questions characterize the research program of analytical situational approach:

1 How can organizational structures described - conceptualized - and operationalized - measurable - are to accurately reflect differences between organizational structures in empirical studies can?

2 Which situational factors or factors may explain differences found between organizational structures?

3 How do different situation - structural constellations on the behavior of organization members and the achievement of objectives ( efficiency) of the organization? Can be for any situation find an organizational structure that controls the behavior of the organization members that the efficiency of the organization can be saved? "

Often " Why " questions are used to knowledge. The knowledge gained from these questions are then new theories.

Requirements

Previously, the following parameters must be defined for the answers to these questions:

• Definition of the relevant variables of the organizational structure. These are for example the degree of division of labor, technical rules or standards.

• Determining the situational factors which are necessary for measurement. These factors must be operationalized so that they can be included in empirical studies. Examples include strengths and frequencies of fluctuations in demand or appearance of new competitors in the market. It can also members of the organization are interviewed about their views on this subject.

• Next is to clarify the dimensions of behavior, efficiency as a function of formal organizational structure and situation of the organization to be even measured.

If these parameters are defined, one can establish the relation between the structural and situational variables on the basis of empirical data. To form hypotheses, this is necessary.

Pragmatic or action-related variants

The goal is the formulation of design options and recommendations, and the reasons. The selection of those structural variant, which corresponds to the situation of the company at best, plays a crucial role.

Task of organizing research is then to determine the situation can be regarded as relevant variables and to draw the right conclusions for organizational design in a row.

When organizing the structural variables should be chosen so that there is consistency with the situational conditions of the company. For an organizer is needed, the structure is determined, this optimum alternative.

In order to achieve this, "How " questions used, their answers are designed to benefit those who have to solve the problems of organizational design in practice.

Dimensions of the situation

The characteristics of the situation are structured according to dimensions.

• Performance program

• Size

• Manufacturing technology

• Information Technology

• Legal structure and ownership

• Competitive relationships

• Customer structure

• Technological dynamics

• Age of the organization

• Type of establishment

• Stage of development of the organization

• Social conditions

• Cultural conditions

The most important situational factors that have been analyzed in empirical studies, environmental, technology and size of the organization and, to a lesser extent, legal form and power politics.

Exemplary studies

A classic study of the influence of market environment on the organization structure is The Management of Innovation ( 1961) by Tom Burns and George M. Stalker. In simplified terms, the authors mate static markets with mechanical and dynamic markets with organic organizational systems.

Pioneering nature of the investigation has by Joan Woodward's Industrial Organization: Theory and Practice (1965). In it, she examined the relationship of production technology (independent variable ) and the organization of production, ie managerielles line and Konstrollsystem (dependent variable ).

Criticism

Some points that are often challenged by organizational theorists:

• Situational and structural characteristics: It is often criticizes the lack of consideration of coordination by self-tuning and participation in decisions.
• Appropriateness of statistical methods: Statistical analysis of the relationships between structure and situational variables and the aggregation of variables, compared with real conditions is not appropriate.
• Invalidity of the empirical measures used in applying various methods, there is often completely different findings about the structural relationships.

Extensions and succession theories

• Theory of strategic choice by John Child ( 1972) Strategic Choice, was one of the first advanced concepts for situational approach
• Configuration approach of Mintzberg (1979) developed the first known structure types and configurations
• Structuration of Giddens (1984 ), duality of structure and action
• 3D model by Reddin (1967 ), three-dimensional model of leadership
• Contingency theory of Fiedler ( 1967), measuring the effectiveness of leadership styles using the LPC value