Size, Shape, and Function in Industrial Organizations

Abstract

There has been a great deal of discussion, in recent years, of the growth of very large business and of the problems that this makes for the national economy, as well as for the political and social organization of the country. There has also been some suggestion that this bigness in itself is evil, although the nature of the evil is never made very clear, nor is it clearly stated at what point in growth the size becomes bad. From the point of view of management's problem, there seems to be no necessary liability in simple size, but there are special problems connected with it, and it is well to look at the implications of growth in an industrial organization for its shape and function.