ABSTRACT

In adopting an analytical focus on events w1thin alreadyestablished populations. population ecology has failed to explain how new organ1zat1onal forms originate. Hannan and Freeman (1977: 936). for example. began their analys1s of population ecology w1th the question: "Why are there so many kinds of organ1zat1ons ?" This quest1on focuses inquiry on organizational divers1ty, the different1at1on of organ1zat1ons into varying population types, but as a po1nt of departure for poplllation ecology is misleading. Population ecology emphas1zes forces that make organ1zat1ons more uniform rather than more diverse. The theory of natural selection does not explam how new populations multiply to increase organ1zat1onal vanety; instead. it begins w1th exist1ng populations and expla1ns how differential surv1val progressively refines and homogen1zP.s organizational forms as it perfects their adaptat1on to environments. By filtering out unfit members of the population and favoring only that subset of organizations optimally adapted to a given config~_;rat1on of n1che cor.stramts, natural select1on reduces rather than 1ncreases organizational diversity.