A Configurational Approach for Assessing Organizational Effectiveness of the Architectural/Construction Firm

An assessment method of organizational effectiveness which considers the important organizational attributes of the architectural/construction firm is described. The method is based on a validated configurational approach identified as the competing values approach. In this paper, theoretical approaches used to model organizational effectiveness and the logic of using the selected approach is discussed. The selected approach consolidates most criteria of effectiveness into four ideal models each with dominant criteria that are pursued by the firm during its various life cycle stages. These criteria are utilized to define four groups of organizational variables relevant to examining effectiveness: structural context; personoriented processes; strategic means; and organizational flexibility, rules and regulations. Different levels of these variables occurring together are hypothesized to define multiple configurations that are pursued by firms in their quest for effectiveness. Once the configuration pursued by the firm is identified, the existing levels of variables in the firm can be compared to those in the configuration to yield a reliable assessment. Further research steps are outlined as how to validate such a methodology.