ABSTRACT
Chapter 9 considers how administrators may seek combinations of rigidity and flexibility in organizations that will best meet performance objectives. In general, organizations will adapt to outside change by having aspects and portions of organizations remain the same (or rigid) while also changing other aspects and portions (to adapt). The best way to accomplish such evolutions may make use of the concepts of adaptive administration. In a setting of constant change, the task of an administrator is to make the best use of rigidity and flexibility to meet performance objectives. As illustrated, based on relevant research, public organizations are more likely to resist change than are private firms. This is due to relationships with outside individuals and organizations; internal politics (or “frictions”); lack of adequate change capacity; and a higher effective “age” of public organizations. An example is discussed of rigidity observed in state medical school-teaching hospital organizations, with three internal power centers related to the medical school, the teaching hospital, and the physician faculty. As noted, these interlocking power centers produced high levels of organizational rigidity that acted to prevent organizational adaptation to external change.
