Monique Forte

Organizational form and environment: an analysis of between-form and within-form responses to environmental change

This study extends previous research on organizational adaptation to major environmental shifts by empirically examining the potential constraining effects of organizational form, operationalized using the Miles and Snow typology, on the type of responses enacted as well as the performance effects of the responses. Results indicate that a fit between environmental contingencies and organizational form relates to superior performance. The results also provide support for the idea that organizations systematically move toward the higher‐performing forms for a given environment. Consistent with organizational configuration logic, while these responses lead to performance improvements when a between‐form change is made, they do not necessarily lead to performance improvements when a within‐form change is made. Copyright

Distance Education as Strategy: How Can Your School Compete?

Student learning outcomes and attitudes dominate the distance-education debate. Competitive aspects such as price, product, institutional reputation, and market size may be equally important to the effective implementation of distance strategies. This article explores the strategic implications of distance education by examining it as a killer application and describing a typology of universities based on organizational and competitive characteristics. Porters generic strategies are used to derive propositions detailing the most appropriate strategies for various university types. We conclude with a discussion of the negative effects of poorly conceived or implemented strategies.

Two Exercises for Exploring the Relationships among Jungian Psychological Types, Organizational Ideals, and Organizational Politics Perceptions

This article describes two experiential exercises relating Jungian psychological types to organizational ideals and perceptions of office politics. The first exercise explores the relationship between Jungian psychological types and organizational ideals. The second exercise explores how these organizational ideals influence perceptions of organizational politics. The exercises can be used separately or combined and are appropriate for a variety of management education settings. Guidelines are presented for administering the exercises and interpreting results.