Domain Theory: An Introduction to Oganizational Behavior in Human Service Organizations

Abstract

The dominant paradigm of organizations, on which organization development (OD) is based, is industry-specific in theory and practice. The traditional manner by which OD technology has been transferred to the human services field presumes that the same theories and practices prevail here as well. The authors challenge this presumption. They suggest that the behavior of human services organizations (HSOs) is based on a fundamentally different paradigm, which necessitates both a new organizational theory and a different OD practice. The authors introduce and discuss a theory of organizational behavior in HSOs, integrating their own experiences with the works of Bell, Jaques, Weick, Weisbord, and others. They suggest that HSOs are comprised of three distinct domains-the Policy Domain, the Management Domain, and the Service Domain. They maintain that each domain operates by different and contrasting principles, success measures, structural arrangements, and work modes, and that the interactions between these create natural conditions of disjunction and discordance. This paradigm of conflicting domains can serve as a new conceptual guide to OD in HSOs, as well as aid to the development and refinement of new OD methods and tools specific to these organizations.