Configuration of a functional department: A study of contextual and structural variables
研究了不同企业中相同职能部门是否因行业刺激而发生相似的结构变化，通过对比管理者对过去和现在条件的感知，发现分化、整合和视角存在显著变化，支持了组织的量子理论。
Abstract This study investigates whether departments performing the same functions in different firms incur similar changes in structural configuration in response to industry‐wide stimuli. Based on the proposition that the context of functional departments is similar across firms, changes in differentiation, integration, and perspective are hypothesized. Managers' perceptions of the validity of a series of statements to conditions five to 10 years ago and to present conditions are contrasted and show statistically significant shifts in these structural configurations. This change is confirmed by the analysis of responses of other managers in different departments within the same firms. Correlation analysis shows significant agreement among alternative measures of the same aspects of structure, and significant comovement among different structural dimensions. The later result supports the quantum theory of organizations.