Organizations and Clients: Lateral and Longitudinal Dimensions

Abstract

This paper presents a perspective for the analysis of formal organizations which views the relationships between clients and organizations as critical determinants in the structure and functioning of such systems. The reasons which prompt this effort derive from three major sources: (1) the phenomenal growth of organizations which cater to a wide range of human needs may require a theoretical perspective suited to the special contingencies engendered by an ethic of service as distinct from an ethic of efficiency; (2) students of formal organizations have recently become concerned with the need to codify the relationships between clients and organizations; (3) existing theoretical traditions suggest potentials for more systematic formulations in this regard. The perspective proceeds from the premise that organizations may vary in their concern with clients along two major dimensions. The first of these, termed lateral, has to do with the organization's interest in the client's contemporary life-space; the second, termed longitudinal, refers to the organization's interest in the future biographical career of the client. Some consequences of variations in these dimensions for organizational structure and dynamics are delineated.