system to figure out what to do. The hierarchy of authority is not clear. Decision-making authority is decentralized. Such internal organizational structures are organic in character.
Daft (1992) held that the organic organizational structure is associated with change and that such a structure is preferable when functioning within a dynamic external environment. Researchers also tend to think that innovation is fostered by an organic organizational structure, while innovation tends to be stifled by a mechanistic organizational structure. Researchers have also observed, however, that, while organic structures tend to foster innovation, they are often somewhat ineffective for the implementation of that innovation. In such instances, it has been suggested that organizations adopt a composite organizational structure that incorporates characteristics of both the organic and the mechanistic organizational concepts (Daft, 1992). This ambidextrous organizational structure permits a shifting emphasis as required.
In the context of formalization, the USPS tends to be more formal than do most private sector organizations. The USPS is primarily a mechanistic organization that is attempting to react to an unstable environment. While the top management at the USPS wants to modernize the organization, lower-levels of management remain committed to the mechanistic organization.
The theory of organizations as expressed in the original paper on the USPS is essentially open systems theory, which is a part of the organismic metaphor. Open systems function at high levels of complexity, and open systems are capable of self-maintenance (Boulding, 1985). Open systems transform the energy made available to them. These activities entail some reorganization of input. The pattern of activit
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