An Empirical Taxonomy of Structures of Work Organizations

Abstract

The taxonomy of structures of work organizations presented is based on three previously established empirical dimensions: structuring of activities, concentration of authority, and line control of workflow. On the basis of a sample of 52 organizations in the English Midlands, clusters of organizations on these three dimensions are examined and a sevenfold classification of organization structures is developed. These are identified as full bureaucracy, nascent full bureaucracy, work flow bureaucracy, nascent workflow bureaucracy, preworkflow bureaucracy, personnel bureaucracy, and implicitly structured organizations, their characteristic contextual features as to size, technology, dependence on other organizations, and ownership are demonstrated, and a possible developmental sequence is suggested. The results indicate that the concept of a single bureaucratic type is no longer useful, since bureaucracy takes different forms in different settings.