ABSTRACT
Examining the normal way in which operational systems function uncovers a stark gap between formal requirements and what actually happens and points to the important role of professionalism in compensating for dysfunctional organisational systems. Resilience seems to reflect the tension between stability and change in organisational and operational systems, mediated by the notion of appropriate adaptation. Adopting the notion of an organisational system brings to the foreground the functional characteristics of systems. Organisational systems comprise inputs, transformation processes and outputs. Contingency theories, which posit an optimal fit between organisational form and environment, have been supplemented by recognition of the importance of choice of managerial strategy. This in turn has been modified by an acknowledgement of the power of large organisations to control and modify their environments, both through the dominance of the markets in which they operate and through their ability to create significance and meaning surrounding their areas of activity.
