PARADOXES OF ORGANIZATIONAL THEORY AND RESEARCH - USING THE CASE OF CHINA TO ILLUSTRATE NATIONAL CONTINGENCY

Chinese organizations are used in this paper to assess the universalit y of the macro and micro theories of organization that have been large ly developed in North America. The analysis suggests that the theories vary in their degree of applicability to the Chinese context. While s ome theories, such as population ecology, seem to be clearly inapplica ble, others, such as the equity theory of motivation, are more suitabl e, though they all require significant adjustment before they can be u sed to study and interpret the structure and processes of Chinese ente rprises, and the attitudes and behavior of those employed in them. Mak ing the adjustment, however, is likely to lead to positive development s in organizational theory.