A Taxonomy for Comparative Research into Non‐State Legal Systems in Economic Organizations

• Published date: 01 September 1978
• Date: 01 September 1978
• Author: GEORGE W. SPIRO
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-1714.1977.tb01436.x

MANAGERIAL LAW DEPARTMENT

A

TAXONOMY

FOR

COMPARATIVE

RESEARCH

INTO

NON-

STATE

LEGAL

SYSTEMS

IN

ECONOMIC

ORGANIZATIONS

*

GEORGE W. SPIRO

INTRODUCTION

“A

formal organization is a system of coordinated activities of

a group of people working cooperatively toward a common goal

under authority and leadership.”’ Inevitably organization mem-

bers will establish standards

of

expected behavior which are

known as norms. Understanding the normative system of any

formal organization is

of

critical importance to anyone interested

in the success of

a

particular organization. In fact, attempts at

rational control of the social process within a society through

manipulation

of

the normative system have been recognized as

the study of social engineering.2 Studying social engineering in an

organizational setting could be of invaluable assistance to those

interested in management theory.

Although a comprehensive outline

of

normative systems and

social engineering within an organization could be the subject of

this paper, a more restricted subject area has been chosen. One

particular part of the normative system

is

composed

of

rules of

law. These rules

of

law may be imposed upon organizations by

*

Assistant Professor, College of Professional Studies, Univ. of Massachusetts (Boston).

I

W.

Scm

&

T.

MITCHELL, ORGANIZATIONAL THEORY: A STRUCTURAL

AND

BEHAVIORAL

*

R.

POUND, AN INTRODUCTION

TO

THE

PHILOSOPHY

OF

LAW 47 (1954).

ANALYSIS

36

(1972).