ABSTRACT

Whenever people join together to perform a complex task, a number of questions inevitably arise. How is the task to be divided up? Is there any way of ensuring that people do their jobs correctly? Who is accountable, to whom, and for what? How much scope is to be given for individual creativity and initiative in each role? Who holds authority, and over what domains? Questions such as these apply to all types of context (production, communication, human services, etc.) and to all types of organisation, from the small and informal (such as a family) to the large and bureaucratic (such as an international bank or the entire civil service). Many of the older theorists of management held the view that there was one best way for all organisations to function. Now, however, it is generally accepted that there is a valid place for many organisational forms, and that it is necessary to find the form that is best fitted to the task.