Perceived Structure: Welfare Organizations in Three Societal Cultures

Abstract

This paper replicates Glisson and Martin's (1980) study of social welfare organizations (SWOs) in St. Louis, Missouri (U.S.A.), with data from two samples of Pacific Island cultures, Guam and Oahu, Hawaii. We test the culture-free vs. culture-specific arguments about the effects of societal culture on internal structure. Our structural dimensions are formalization and centralization. They are measured as perceptions (regime) of social service workers rather than form that is officially prescribed. As expected, Guam and Oahu SWOs are smaller and younger than those in St. Louis. Guam SWOs are the most formalized and centralized; Oahu SWOs do not differ structurally from those in St. Louis. Multivariate regression results show that culture/locale significantly predicts formalization (Guam SWOs are the most formal ized) and both culture/locale and size predict centralization. Significant interaction effects were discovered, prompting rejection of the culture-free argument: larger size leads to more formalization in Oahu and St. Louis but to less in Guam; higher average worker tenure leads to more centralization in St. Louis but to less in Oahu. Alternative interpretations and implications of the results are considered.