Dynamic evolution of rules: The culture of codified organizational rules

Author: March (USA)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: This is a book about written rules within formal organizations. It uses a special organization: observations from Stanford University, to develop ideas about how written rules change. Written rules are a special factor in the history of organizations; they shape organizational events while being influenced by them. The creation, revision, and abolition of written rules leave historical traces and have visibility and durability. Due to these characteristics, written rules provide natural data for empirical exploration of organizational historical dynamics. They are not the complete record of that history, but they form accessible archival materials that change over time. Although the research described here includes some quantitative observations of specific events related to rule changes, the study in this book is primarily a quantitative investigation of the historical patterns and statistical characteristics of rule generation and change. It is hoped that the insights gained from this data will contribute to rule theory as well as theories of organizational change and learning. Compared to the substantive content of change or the implementation of specific rules, the analysis in this book emphasizes the patterns of change rates within a group of rules.