ABSTRACT
In the comparative analysis of organisations survey research is predominant. Generally speaking, such surveys are based on either of two methods of data collection. The first method is the so-called questionnaire approach. In this method responses of non-biased samples or organisation members are aggregated to obtain measures of organisational characteristics (Ven and Ferry, 1980). The questions frequently are at the level of the individuals job. The other approach is the institutional method. In this case the measures may be of two types. In its “rigid” form this method relies on organisational charts and documents, and consequently the measures focus on organisational practices that can be observed objectively. A second form of the institutional method may be a questionnaire administered at the top-level of the organisation. In this way, chief executive officers may be asked their opinions of various organisational practices. These responses regard parts of the organisation as a whole; they may then be interpreted as institutional measures. Both types of institutional measures have been made popular by the Aston research programme (Pugh et al., 1968).
