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CONVERGENT DYNAMICS IN THE PRODUCTION OF ORGANIZATIONAL CONFIGURATIONS *
Author(s) -
Fombrun Charles J.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
journal of management studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.398
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1467-6486
pISSN - 0022-2380
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-6486.1989.tb00738.x
Subject(s) - structuring , convergence (economics) , production (economics) , dynamics (music) , organizational structure , industrial organization , superstructure , process (computing) , economic geography , organizational dynamics , process management , business , computer science , economic system , economics , management , sociology , political science , microeconomics , public relations , engineering , economic growth , structural engineering , operating system , pedagogy , finance
Organization theory lacks an adequate accounting for the processes that produce distinct structural configurations. This article interprets organization structure as an instantaneous correspondence between three analytical levels that simultaneously constrain and stimulate behaviour: infrastructure, sociostructure, and superstructure. Structuring results from a process of convergence across levels that produces distinct configurations and provides observers with a living record of the organization's historical development. This article explores the dynamics of convergence through a comparative case study of two organizations in the publishing industry. Both firms developed into stable structural configurations that were uniquely produced from historically specific accommodations.