ABSTRACT
The resource dependence approach posits that no organization exists in a vacuum. Organizations formulate their own actions in response to the demands placed upon them by other organizations. The change is aimed at minimizing external dependence. It may involve some type of growth that might culminate in a merger. Sometimes the attempt by one organization to establish linkages with other results in a hierarchical relationship between the two that resembles a merger. The Science and Technology Commission for National Defense (NDSTC) had an advantage over its rivals due to the nature of leadership. This independent variable is affected by two conditions: The quantity and quality of other official posts held by the leader and the leader’s personal ties with important national leaders. The importance of autonomy is twofold. It is the autonomy of the focal organization that allows it to expand; it is the autonomy of the rival units that allows this expansion to be successful.
