Some Foundations of Organization Theory

by Ernest Dale


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Abstract

The article focuses on various aspects of organizations and its structure. The purpose of this article is to re-emphasize some criteria which may aid in assessing the value of the growing body of work on the subject and to suggest certain methods of studying business organization. In large part, the search for theory has been a search for principles and concepts that can be universally applied to all organizations. To study and evaluate even one organization structure is an extremely complex task because of the many factors involved and because a large number of years of operation must be studied in order to arrive at a tenable conclusion. The comparative approach seems to be the most helpful to those who must meet organization problems here and now. The value of the comparative method is that it attempts to delineate the area to which generalizations apply and the circumstances under which they hold true. By using the comparative approach, a theory can be build which is universally applicable, but possibly, a theory should be made in parts which are immediately useful and ultimately may become universally valid.

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