p.13 the central problem for complex organizations is one of coping with uncertainty.

 

p.14 Instrumental action is rooted on the one hand in desired outcomes and on the other hand in beliefs about cause/effect relationships. Given a desire, the state of man's knowledge at any point in time dictates the kinds of variables required and the manner of their manipulation to bring that desire to fruition. To the extent that the activities thus dictated by man's beliefs are judged to produce the desired outcomes, we can speak of technology, or technical rationality.

 

p.24 Organizational rationality therefore is some result of (1) constraints which the organization must face, (2) contingencies which the organization must meet, and (3) variables which the organization can control.

 

p.54 Each part renders a discrete contribution to the whole and each is supported by the whole

 

p.55 Under conditions of reciprocal interdependence, each unit involved is penetrated by the other... the distinguishing aspect is the reciprocity of the interdependence, with each unit posing contingency for the other... With reciprocal interdependence, contingency is not merely potential, for the actions of each position in the set must be adjusted to the actions of one or more others in the set.

 

p.56 with reciprocal interdependence, coordination by mutual adjustment is called for.

 

p.59 all organizations have pooled interdependence; more complex organizations also have sequential interdependence, and the most complex have reciprocal interdependence in addition to the other two forms.

 

p.160 Purpose without cause/effect understanding provides no basis for recognizing alternatives, no grounds for claiming credit for success or escaping blame for failure, no pattern for self-control... When purpose and cause/effect understanding are present, the basic threat to organizational success lies in interdependence with an environment which may be uncooperative. Under these conditions, organizations try to achieve predictability and self-control through regulation of transactions at their boundaries - through negotiation, by buffering, or by varying their own activities to match fluctuations in the environment. The location of discretionary positions and the number and nature of the structural units at the boundaries of the organization are determined by the need to regulate boundary transactions. If these cannot be regulated satisfactorily, the organization tries to move its boundaries - to incorporate or encircle unreliable units.

 

p.160 To the extent that boundaries are regulated, cause/effect relationships are known, and purpose is present; internal interdependence is the potential source of uncertainty. Now the organization seeks self-control through coordination of the actions of its components, through subordinating each component to a monolithic authority network with centralized decision making.