Chapter 1 administrative principles A closed systems management perspective that focuses on the total organization and grows from the insights of practitioners (p. 26) bureaucratic organization An organization design that emphasizes management on an impersonal, rational basis through elements such as clearly defined authority and responsibility, formal record keeping, and uniform application of standard rules (p. 26) change strategy A plan to guide an organizational change (p. 6) chaos theory A scientific theory that suggests that relationships in complex, adaptive systems are made up of numerous interconnections that create unintended effects and render the environment unpredictable (p. 28) closed system A system that is autonomous, enclosed, and not dependent on its environment (p. 15) contextual dimensions Traits that characterize the whole organization, including its size, technology, environment, and goals (p. 18) contingency A theory meaning one thing depends on other things; the organization’s situation dictates the correct management approach (p. 27) effectiveness The degree to which an organization achieves its goals (p. 22) efficiency The amount of resources used to produce a unit of output (p. 22)
Hawthorne Studies A series of experiments on worker productivity begun in 1924 at the Hawthorne plant of Western Electric Company in Illinois; attributed employees’ increased output to managers’ better treatment of them during the study (p. 6) learning organization An organization in which everyone is engaged in identifying and solving problems, enabling the organization to continuously experiment, improve, and increase its capability (p. 28) level of analysis In systems theory, the subsystem on which the primary focus is placed; four levels of analysis normally characterize organizations (p. 32) meso theory A new approach to organization studies