Open Question Structural Contingency Theory
In Structural Contingency Theory one of the core concepts is Match/FIT/Congruence, the open questions
are an effort to make you understand how this rather ABSTRACT concept can be understood better by
looking into definition AND measurement.
A Please provide a definition of Match/Fit/Congruence, and provide an example of a misfit.
Often times fit is explained by saying that responses and contingencies are matched.
Unfortunately that is not good enough.
Fit is an indication of the extent into which responses and (perceived) environmental dynamics are
aligned.The alignment indicates: the extent into which organizational structure are adapted to the
functional environmental requirements.
Paper Volberda et al provides an operational definition: First, the approximate fit line is established as a line
in which the level of the response variables/organization design variable equals that of the contingency
variable (environmental turbulence).
Misfit is then calculated as the deviation of a response variable from this particular fit line.
Example: in case there is high technological dynamics eg in the retail sector, eg bookstores, and
owners of bookstore chains do not enter into selling ebooks, of start an ‘AMAZON’ or BOL.com like
platform to offer and sell books they are not aligned. This contingency misfit will lead to decreased
performance over time.
In Structural Contingency Theory one of the core concepts is Match/FIT/Congruence, the open questions
are an effort to make you understand how this rather ABSTRACT concept can be understood better by
looking into definition AND measurement.
A Please provide a definition of Match/Fit/Congruence, and provide an example of a misfit.
Often times fit is explained by saying that responses and contingencies are matched.
Unfortunately that is not good enough.
Fit is an indication of the extent into which responses and (perceived) environmental dynamics are
aligned.The alignment indicates: the extent into which organizational structure are adapted to the
functional environmental requirements.
Paper Volberda et al provides an operational definition: First, the approximate fit line is established as a line
in which the level of the response variables/organization design variable equals that of the contingency
variable (environmental turbulence).
Misfit is then calculated as the deviation of a response variable from this particular fit line.
Example: in case there is high technological dynamics eg in the retail sector, eg bookstores, and
owners of bookstore chains do not enter into selling ebooks, of start an ‘AMAZON’ or BOL.com like
platform to offer and sell books they are not aligned. This contingency misfit will lead to decreased
performance over time.
