The article discusses communication in organizations and looks at the effectiveness of contingency theory in analyzing operational research. The author critiques earlier research in this area, specifically by Boehm, Zedeck, and Tushman. She uses data from 90 of 100 subunits of a midwest state Extension Service. Questionnaires were sent out to assess work-related communications and information exchanges between the subunits, environmental conditions within each subunit, and the effectiveness of each office.

This paper distinguishes between system level and work flow level measures of organizational technology and structure. Data from 20 manufacturing plants support the hypothesis that system level technology (technological change and computerization of support functions) tends to be primarily related to system level structural variables. Work flow level technology (degree of mass production) tends to be related primarily to work flow level structural measures.

The article presents a study that examines the correlation between organizational size and structure in the case of some life insurance companies in the United States. According to the author, growth in an organization can create pressures leading to an increase in differentiation in organizational structures. The author notes that these pressures may be brought on by factors including control, communication and supervision, faced by large organizations. According to the results of the study, the size-structure relationship dies not vary according to the measurement used to determine organizational size.

The group decision making approaches investigated utilized a problem requiring high technical quality and high participant acceptance for the successful solution. A leader skill oriented approach (PCL) proved superior on the major variable of effectiveness. Questions are raised regarding the relationship of the problem to the group process employed.

In this article the author reports on research he conducted that examined managers' opinions on leadership and their perceptions of their bosses' opinions on leadership. The study also examined the relationship between leadership and need fulfillment, salary level and career progress. The findings suggest that managers tend to view their own opinions on leadership with greater complexity than they perceive in the opinions of their bosses. The author also notes that these findings should put to rest the hi-hi leadership paradigm that suggests that leaders should be high in initiating structure and consideration.

A field experiment is described which compared the innovativeness and quality of solutions from health planning groups made up of health services users??activists? or professional consumers?and experts?physicians, nurses, administrators, and therapists. The experimental findings suggest several guides for planning.

Canonical correlation analysis of manufacturing firm data demonstrated that organizational ?competence? (executive ratings of organizational performance and executive turnover) was not strongly related to situational variables like organization size, structure, and technology. Instead, ?competence? was related primarily to management's values regarding the firm's publics, such as customers, suppliers, employees, and government.

The article looks at a study from 1973 which attempted to provide some empirical data of the nature of a basic management course. The author references papers published within a business management periodical while call for defined standards for the content, instruction, and objectives of such a course. Random members of the American Association of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) were selected to respond to the study's questionnaire regarding foreseeable trends within basic management courses. Factors of class size and teaching method are considered.