The Structure of Russian Organizations |
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| Authors: | George A Miller Oleg I Gubin |
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| Institution: | Is professor of sociology at the University of Utah, where he is also director of graduate studies. Professor Miller's current research is concerned with the cross-national comparison of organizational structure, indicators of world development, and the structure of schools in the United States. He has published several articles on organizations from a comparative perspective and is co-editor (with Oscar Grusky) of The Sociology of Organizations: Basic Studies;(The Free Press). Is assistant professor of sociology at the University of Utah. He also has an appointment at the Center for Social and Humanitarian Studies at Moscow State University, where he received his Ph.D. in sociology and philosophy. He has been a visiting scholar at Yale University. Professor Gubin's current research is concerned with conflict resolution, strategies of social control, and the political sociology of elites. He is currently completing a book on transitions from state socialism in comparative perspective. |
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| Abstract: | This paper examines the extent to which the structure of Russian organizations is similar to that observed among organizations in the West. Data were obtained in 1995 from a sample of organizations in the greater Moscow area by means of a structured interview schedule administered to the chief executive officer within each organization. The interview schedule contained measures developed by the Aston Group which have been used widely in previous research. The structure of Russian organizations was evaluated in terms of a causal model based upon consistent findings of previous research in this area. The results suggest that the structure of Russian organizations differs in important ways from the type of structure observed in most Western organizations. The major differences are that size, specialization and formalization are positively associated with centralization in Russian organizations. It is suggested that the historical tradition of centralized rule in Russia and the criminal environment of current Russian organizations are, in part, responsible for this difference. |
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