ABSTRACT
The chapters in this fourth volume of the Handbook bear upon the behaviour of individuals or groups in work organizations. This behaviour is not only related to features of organizations but also to those of the organizational environment and the links between them. Organizational characteristics concern, e.g., the organization structure (such as the degree of centralization or formalization) and its strategy and culture. Environmental characteristics include such things as legislation and regulations, political decision making, investment climate, and industrial relations (e.g. between employers and trade unions). A first question is the extent to which the behaviour of individuals and groups is determined by organizational and environmental features. For example, it appears that under uncertain conditions people are motivated by slightly different aspects of their work than in situations where the circumstances are predictable. A second question that links up with this is to what extent such features are in turn influenced by the behaviour of people in groups or organizational units. An example of this is the phenomenon that the more highly educated people there are in an organization who perform quite complex tasks, the less specific the rules often are. We see, moreover, that a number of subjects at the organization and environment levels can also be considered as independent themes, including such things as organization culture, democratization in companies, and interorganizational networks.
