Tourism

D.S. Pugh, D.J. Hickson, C.R. Hinings and C. Turner attempt to find and measure the structural differences using scalable variables for large number of diverse work organization and their multidimensional analysis in their article Dimensions of Organizational Structure. They selected 52 organizations as samples in Birmingham, from which 46 were random samples according to Standard Industrial Classification of the British Ministry of Labour. Data was collected from 293 employing units in the area having more than 250 employees. They conducted series of interviews with Department heads of varying status, with ensign schedules.

They define six primary dimensions of organizational structure from the examination of literature. These include Specialization, Standardization, Formalization, Centralization, Configuration and Flexibility. 64 component scales were constructed to generate operational definitions for the first five dimensions. Out of the component scales, some were primary dimensions like Overall Formulization. Other subscales such as Autonomy of the Organization. Non workflow Personnel etc were concerned with only divisions of a major variable. Some of them were summary scales like Overall role specialization, Standardization of procedures for selection and advancement. These were extracted to summarize a whole dimension from principal components analysis.

They tested the internal consistency and the inter correlations of these 64 scales. Out of these, 16 scales completely represented the primary dimensions, giving four fundamental aspects of organization structure. These included structuring of activities encircling standardization, formalization, specialization, and vertical span, concentration of authority on all sides of organizational autonomy, centralization, standardization of procedures for selection and advancement and percentage of workflow super ordinates, line control of workflow, including subordinate ratio, percentage of workflow super ordinates, formalization of role performance, recording, and standardization of procedures for selection and advancement and relative size of supportive component, encompassing percentage of clerks and non-workflow personnel, vertical span, as they have described them in their article.

A profile characteristic of a particular organization can be determined by the establishment of scales and dimensions described by D.S. Pugh, D.J. Hickson, C.R. Hinings and C. Turner. They concluded that since the structure of any organization may vary along any four empirical dimensions, they have defined it is not adequate to talk about dimensions in terms of bureaucratic ideal type only. They are of the view that now it is possible to conduct more rigorous and systematic studies of comparative roles, composition and interaction and individual personality behavior, as the impacts of structural dimensions of organizations can be controlled and also able to make a multivariate approach to causality. The structuring of activities, concentration of authority, and line control of workflow and relative size of supportive component are some of the fundamental basis for the classification of organization structures.

The results are made clearer by presenting them in table form. There are six appendices being at the last of the article that summarizes the study as well as the findings of the study. The appendices range from A to F. Specialization, standardization, formalization, centralization, configuration and traditionalism were the main topics studied and the appendices show them as the main headings. Each of the concepts studied in detail are highlighted there and presented in such a way that the whole study can be revised by looking at it.