{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,24]],"date-time":"2026-04-24T06:48:20Z","timestamp":1777013300666,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":60,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[1972,1,1]],"date-time":"1972-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":63072000000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Sociology"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[1972,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p> This paper critically examines available theoretical models which have been derived from statistically established patterns of association between contextual and organizational variables. These models offer an interpretation of organizational structure as a product of primarily economic constraints which contextual variables are assumed to impose. It is argued that available models in fact attempt to explain organization at one remove by ignoring the essentially political process, whereby power-holders within organizations decide upon courses of strategic action. This `strategic choice' typically includes not only the establishment of structural forms but also the manipulation of environmental features and the choice of relevant performance standards. A theoretical re-orientation of this kind away from functional imperatives and towards a recognition of political action is developed and illustrated in the main body of the paper. <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/003803857200600101","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2005,6,22]],"date-time":"2005-06-22T02:09:16Z","timestamp":1119406156000},"page":"1-22","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3184,"title":["Organizational Structure, Environment and Performance: The Role of Strategic Choice"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"6","author":[{"given":"John","family":"Child","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"London Graduate School of Business Studies"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[1972,1,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"atypb1","volume-title":"Industrial Organization","author":"BAIN, J. S.","year":"1959"},{"key":"atypb2","volume-title":"Theory Construction: From Verbal to Mathematical Formulations","author":"BLALOCK, H.","year":"1969"},{"key":"atypb3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/001979396501800303"},{"key":"atypb4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2090903"},{"key":"atypb5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2093199"},{"key":"atypb6","volume-title":"The Strategy of Multinational Enterprise","author":"BROOKE, M. Z.","year":"1970"},{"key":"atypb7","unstructured":"BURNS, T. 1966a. Preface to second edition of Burns and Stalker (1961)."},{"key":"atypb8","first-page":"165","volume-title":"Operational Research and the Social Sciences","author":"BURNS, T.","year":"1966"},{"key":"atypb9","volume-title":"The Management of Innovation","author":"BURNS, T.","year":"1961"},{"key":"atypb10","volume-title":"Britain's Economic Prospects","author":"CAVES, R. E.","year":"1968"},{"key":"atypb11","volume-title":"Strategy and Structure: Chapters in the History of the Industrial Enterprise","author":"CHANDLER, A.","year":"1962"},{"key":"atypb12","volume-title":"The Business Enterprise in Modern Industrial Society","author":"CHILD, J.","year":"1969"},{"key":"atypb13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1467-6486.1970.tb00612.x"},{"key":"atypb14","volume-title":"A Behavioural Theory of the Firm","author":"CYERT, R. M.","year":"1963"},{"key":"atypb15","first-page":"11","volume-title":"Social Science Approaches to Business Behaviour","author":"DUBIN, R.","year":"1962"},{"key":"atypb16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/001872676501800103"},{"key":"atypb17","volume-title":"The New Industrial State","author":"GALBRAITH, J. K.","year":"1967"},{"key":"atypb18","volume-title":"The Affluent Worker: Industrial Attitudes and Behaviour","author":"GOLDTHORPE, J. H.","year":"1968"},{"key":"atypb19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/1951818"},{"key":"atypb20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2391470"},{"key":"atypb21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1086\/224380"},{"key":"atypb22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2391132"},{"key":"atypb23","volume-title":"Social Change in Complex Organizations","author":"HAGE, J.","year":"1970"},{"key":"atypb24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2390944"},{"key":"atypb25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1086\/223508"},{"key":"atypb26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2092844"},{"key":"atypb27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1086\/224294"},{"key":"atypb28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2092391"},{"key":"atypb29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2391134"},{"key":"atypb30","first-page":"21","author":"HICKSON, D. J.","year":"1970","journal-title":"Personnel Management:"},{"key":"atypb31","author":"HICKSON, D. J.","year":"1971","journal-title":"Administrative Science Quarterly."},{"key":"atypb32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1744-6570.1967.tb02440.x"},{"key":"atypb33","volume-title":"Work and Behaviour in Industrial Organization","author":"INGHAM, G. K.","year":"1970"},{"key":"atypb34","volume-title":"Environment and the Organization Structure of Firms","author":"KHANDWALLA, P. N.","year":"1970"},{"key":"atypb35","volume-title":"Micropolitics and Public Planning","author":"KRONENBERG, P. S.","year":"1969"},{"key":"atypb36","volume-title":"Organization and Environment","author":"LAWRENCE, P. R.","year":"1967"},{"key":"atypb37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2390622"},{"key":"atypb38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2092986"},{"key":"atypb39","volume-title":"Systems of Organization","author":"MILLER, E. J.","year":"1967"},{"key":"atypb40","volume-title":"`Organization, Mediation, and Environment'","author":"NORMANN, R.","year":"1969"},{"key":"atypb41","volume-title":"`Some Conclusions from 13 Case Studies of New Product Development'","author":"NORMANN, R.","year":"1969"},{"key":"atypb42","volume-title":"Job Enrichment and Employee Motivation","author":"PAUL, W. J.","year":"1970"},{"key":"atypb43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2091811"},{"key":"atypb44","volume-title":"Organizational Analysis: A Sociological View","author":"PERROW, C.","year":"1970"},{"key":"atypb45","volume-title":"Organizational Effectiveness: An Inventory of Propositions","author":"PRICE, J. L.","year":"1968"},{"key":"atypb46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2390971"},{"key":"atypb47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2391262"},{"key":"atypb48","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2391366"},{"key":"atypb49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2391367"},{"key":"atypb50","volume-title":"Organisational Development","author":"SADLER, P. J.","year":"1970"},{"key":"atypb51","volume-title":"The Theory of Organisations","author":"SILVERMAN, D.","year":"1970"},{"key":"atypb52","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2390676"},{"key":"atypb53","volume-title":"Organizations in Action","author":"THOMPSON, J. D.","year":"1967"},{"key":"atypb54","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2088620"},{"key":"atypb55","volume-title":"Organizational Choice","author":"TRIST, E. L.","year":"1963"},{"key":"atypb56","volume-title":"Human Resources Administration","author":"WASMUTH, W. J.","year":"1970"},{"key":"atypb57","volume-title":"The Social Psychology of Organizing","author":"WEICK, K. E.","year":"1969"},{"key":"atypb58","volume-title":"Industrial Organization: Theory and Practice","author":"WOODWARD, J.","year":"1965"},{"key":"atypb59","volume-title":"editor, Industrial Organization: Behaviour and Control","author":"WOODWARD, J.","year":"1970"},{"key":"atypb60","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2092843"}],"container-title":["Sociology"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/003803857200600101","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/003803857200600101","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,28]],"date-time":"2025-01-28T09:16:51Z","timestamp":1738055811000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/003803857200600101"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[1972,1]]},"references-count":60,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[1972,1]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/003803857200600101"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/003803857200600101","relation":{},"ISSN":["0038-0385","1469-8684"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0038-0385","type":"print"},{"value":"1469-8684","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[1972,1]]}}}