Contingency Theory in Practice, I

The need to develop the social sciences to make a practical contribution to organisational problems is a theme we hear much about. This article, which is in two parts, starts by comparing two cases of consulting to organisations in order to develop a critique of the models used — namely, ‘cultures and structures’ analysis and Gowler and Lupton's ‘7‐box model’. The main argument of Part I is that we need to take into account the political realities of organisations, and that failure to do so will distort the help we believe we are giving. Part II considers the other, more probable consequence, of neglecting political realities—failure to influence, recommendations not adopted, problems of implementation. It relates the practical consequences of using contingency models such as the ‘7‐box model’, to basic design assumptions and elements intrinsic to the models. The writer concludes that their deficiency as models of a working organisation actively inhibits their successful application to practical problems. They need, therefore, to be used with care or supplemented.