Adaptation and Consolidation: Structural Innovation in the U. S. House of Representatives

Abstract

A simplified theory of organizational innovation, drawn from literature concerning formal organizations, can help explain changes in legislative bodies. The impetus for structural innovation arises from stresses in the organization's external environment or internal dynamics; processes of adjusting to such stresses are termed, respectively, adaptation and consolidation. While closely intertwined, the two modes of change are typified by distinct characteristics. The theory is applied to three innovations proposed by the House Select Committee on Committees (1974): committee realignment; oversight reform; and early House organization. Representing varying levels of adaptation and consolidation, these innovations manifested different origins, forms, and support patterns.