INEFFECTIVE EFFECTIVENESS STUDY AND SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

• NCJ Number: 68253
• Journal: Sociological Quarterly Volume: 21 Issue: 1 Dated: (WINTER 1980) Pages: 119-34
• Author(s): R H HALL; J P CLARK
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 16 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2RO 1 MH17508-03MHS
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: THIS IS A REVISION OF A PAPER PRESENTED AT THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION, CHICAGO (IL), 1977.

Annotation

FOLLOWING CONTINGENCY THEORY ON A GOAL-BASED MODEL OF EFFECTIVENESS, AN ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF 73 HUMAN SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS WAS ATTEMPTED, AND A NEW MODEL OF ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS WAS PROPOSED.

Abstract

BELIEVING OBJECTIVE MEASURES OF ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS TO BE UNWORKABLE, THE RESEARCHERS FIRST MEASURED EFFECTIVENESS WITH SELF-REPORTS FROM STRATEGIC MEMBERS OF EACH ORGANIZATION. THESE MEASURES WERE COMPARED WITH ADDITIONAL INDICATORS OF EFFECTIVENESS RELATED TO THE SAME GOALS, SUCH AS EVALUATION REPORTS FROM MEMBERS OF INTERACTING ORGANIZATIONS. THE FAILURE OF THE SELF-REPORTS AND ADDITIONAL INDICATORS OF EFFECTIVENESS TO SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER SUGGESTS THAT THE ATTEMPT TO ESTABLISH SINGLE MEASURES OF ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESSS IS FRUITLESS. A CONTRADICTION MODEL OF EFFECTIVENESS IS PROPOSED WHICH INCORPORATES ELEMENTS OF THE SYSTEM RESOURCE AND GOAL MODELS OF ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT. THE CONTRADICTION MODEL IS BASED ON THE PREMISE THAT ORGANIZATIONS CANNOT BE OBJECTIVELY ASSESSED TO BE EFFECTIVE OR INEFFECTIVE. THE MODEL BUILDS ON THE WORK OF BENSON (1977) AND HIS EMPHASIS ON ORGANIZATIONAL DIALECTICS. BENSON NOTES THAT ORGANIZATIONS ARE SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED; SO TOO ARE CONCEPTUALIZATIONS OF ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS. THE CONTRADICTION MODEL PROPOSES THAT THE CONTRADICTIONS AND AGREEMENTS REGARDING EFFECTIVENESS ASSESSMENT AND ACTIONS PRODUCED BY FUNDING SOURCES, OTHER ORGANIZATIONS IN INTERACTION WITH A FOCAL ORGANIZATION, AND CONSTITUENT GROUPS BE CONSIDERED IN THE DETERMINATION OF PATTERNS OF EFFECTIVENESS. VALUE IMPLICATIONS OF THE CONTRADICTIONS WOULD BE NOTED AS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS VIS-A-VIS THE FOCAL ORGANIZATION. THE APPENDIX LISTS THE GOALS OF EACH TYPE OF ORGANIZATION STUDIED, ALONG WITH THE SPEARMAN RANK ORDER CORRELATION COEFFICIENTS. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED.