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Burns and Stalker (1961) - (Booth, 1993)Management > Crisis Management > Lectures > Independent Research > Taylor > Fayol > Kreitner > Deming > points of management continued > More on quality > Mintzberg > Burns and Stalker
Contingency Theory - Burns and Stalker (1961)Every firm is different and reacts to the environment in its own unique way. Contingency theory thus suggests that there is no one way of organising management, especially during a crisis – it all depends on the present task in the environment at hand. Burns and Stalker (1961) pioneered this theory, seeing that when the environment changed, such as with the advent of new technologies or management styles, firms reacted differently. Faster changing companies, like electronic firms, required an “organic” style with free-moving information, which travelled both horizontally and vertically. They also needed a high degree of specialists and commitment. Alternatively, slower, more predictable firms, such as a rayon mill, have a “mechanistic” structure, which is authoritative and information flows vertically in a more formalised fashion.
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