ABSTRACT
The Aston studies were designed primarily to test Max Weber’s theory as well as classical management theory (see Chapter 11 of Miner 2006b) and the technological aspects of Joan Woodward’s (1958) formulations. Initially they were conceived by Derek Pugh, David Hickson, and C.R. (Bob) Hinings, but other later contributors include Diane Pheysey, Kerr Inkson, Roy Payne, Lex Donaldson, John Child, and Charles McMillan (Greenwood and Devine 1997). The studies themselves are contained in a four-volume set (Pugh and Hickson 1976; Pugh and Hinings 1976; Pugh and Payne 1977; Hickson and McMillan 1981). The original work was done at the Birmingham College of Technology, which later became the University of Aston in Birmingham. Nowhere is this Aston theory formally stated, although it is interspersed throughout the four volumes and a number of additional articles; basically it is based on Weber’s theory of bureaucracy.
