ABSTRACT
Managers' inquiry can be sketched under the topics of typicality, positive aspects of conflict, bureaucratic theory and American society, the firm in the community, conformity, and a recurring issue. Bureaucratic theory naturally assumes that members of the organization are relatively inert and ready to follow the intent of rules. The theory also slights the fact that in the larger organizations, local and personal demands take precedence in most cases. Organizational planning limited to the standard aspects of production, profits, recruitment of personnel, and public relations is unrealistic if not irrational. In practice legal fictions are blurred by the extralegal activities of members, by the reciprocal ties between plant and community, and by persons who—with followers—are powerful in both places. There are also binding trades and understandings between local tax assessors and management, which are interwoven with the other connections. The spread of bureaucratic structures requires increasing conformity. In the larger society conformity has become a medium of exchange.
