Works
- Dimensions of organization structure, Administrative Science Quarterly 13(1), from p. 65, 1968
- The context of organization structures, Administrative Science Quarterly 14(1), from p. 91, 1969
- An empirical taxonomy of structures of work organizations, Administrative Science Quarterly 14(1), from page 115, 1969
In Organizational Structures
Known for
The Aston studies
Ideas
Dimensions of structure. Specialization, standardization, formalization, centralization, and configuration can be measured on scales, and in 52 organizations they resolved into structuring of activities, concentration of authority, line control of workflow, and size of supportive component. Caveat: Cross-sectional, one region; replicated by Hinings and Lee (1971) and Child (1972).
An empirical taxonomy of bureaucracies. Seven clusters, from full bureaucracy to implicitly structured organizations, each with its own context, so bureaucracy takes different forms in different settings. Caveat: The developmental sequence it suggests is inferred from cross-sectional data.
Dimensions of structure. Pugh and the Aston group measured five dimensions of structure in 52 organizations and found four underlying factors, concluding that the single bureaucratic type was no longer useful. Caveat: Samples from the English Midlands; later work questioned how far the findings travel across countries.