Dimensions of Management System and Performance in Continuous-Process Organizations

Abstract

The relationships among management system dimensions and performance were studied in 44 continuous-process organizations located in Pennsylvania. Organic management systems, as opposed to mechanistic systems, were found to be related to both higher profitability and subjective organizational performance ratings. Specifically, a de-emphasis of both an impersonal hierarchy and the use of rules for decision-making were significantly related to higher performance for this sample. Based on prior research, the sample was then split into highand low-performance subsamples and examined with cluster analysis. Much more clearly defined clusters among the management system variables were found for the low-performance than for the high-performance subsamples. Implications for organizational theory and management and for future research are discussed.

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