Matching multiple contingencies

Lewin, Weigelt, and Emery assert that (2004) that an organization must not only fit contingency but must also deal with the reality of dynamically adapting multiple and conflicting contingencies. Lawrence and Lorsch (1967) support this by showing how the different parts of an organization have different levels of environmental uncertainty that require different structures at different times. In other words, an organization may need to coordinate among departments that have different structures. Also, Gresov (1989) found that organizations perform better when they achieve a fit between task uncertainty and horizontal dependence, arguing that multiple conflicting contingencies increase the challenge of finding the right fit and increase the chances that the organization will be in misfit [See Figure 2].