This document discusses four major modernist theories relating organizations to their environment: Environmental Contingency Theory, Resource Dependency Theory, Population Ecology Theory, and Institutional Theory. Environmental Contingency Theory states that organizational structure should depend on environmental conditions like complexity and change. Resource Dependency Theory examines how organizations rely on external resources and the power relationships that creates. Population Ecology Theory looks at how organizations compete for survival within environmental constraints. Institutional Theory considers how organizations seek legitimacy and power within their political and social environment.

2. Resource Dependence Theory

3. Population Ecology Theory

4. Institutional TheoryModernist theories relating organizations to their environment

5. Environmental Contingency Theory Organizational structure should be based on the conditions it faces. Uncertainty is a property of the environment resulting from complexity and rate of change. “Complexity” refers to the number and diversity of elements in the environment. “Rate of change” is how rapidly these elements change. Environmental uncertainty is defined by the amount of complexity and the rate of change in the organization’s environment.

7. Must identify power and dependence relationship.

8. Vulnerability results from need for resources.

9. Environment derives its power over the organization from this dependency.

11. Institutional Theory Organization compete not just for resources and customers but for political power and institutional legitimacy. “Institutionalization” is “the process by which actions are repeated and given similar meaning by self and others. There are forms of institutional pressure: coercive (from government); and normative (from education of members of organizations).

12. Online Organization Analysis You may use these theories and more to consider and explain what you see related to environmental relations in your assigned organization.