decisionmaking
in a free-associative, or non-imperative, organisation,
focusing on the Anglican Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn as a
case study. Because people choose to participate in the Anglican
Church as a religious community, it is postulated that they may
perceive its decision-making as being characterised by consensus.
Through an analysis of the organisational elements and the
participants involved in the decision-making process, their
inter-relationships are examined. By survey the biographical
nature of synod participants is specified and elites identified.
Finally, by case-decision analysis the process of decision-making
is explored, and the presence and use of consensus examined.
The study draws upon those members attending the 1988 session of
the Diocesan Synod of the Diocese of Canberra and Goulburn as the
population to be surveyed. Members of synod are also members of
the various decision-making groups in the diocese. Two recently
implemented decisions are used as case studies in order to
examine the process of decision-making in the diocese.
Results of the Synod survey are detailed at Chapter 4, and the
analysis of the case decisions is at Chapter 5. The study found
that there was an indication of an elite in the decision-making
structure and that a strong administrative agenda was promoted by
that group.
The study concludes by suggesting that there are similarities in
function between public, commercial and free-associative bodies
of comparative size in regard to elites, professionalism and the
lack of consensus in the decision-making process. The study also
concludes that the nature of elites may be similar to that
portrayed by the community studies school where the organisation
is sufficiently like a community in the nature of its interpersonal
relationships. The researcher suggests that the study
provided illumination about church management procedures and a
framework applicable to the study of other organisations.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/219251 |
| Date | January 1988 |
| Creators | Paul, Ross G., n/a |
| Publisher | University of Canberra. Administrative Studies |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | ), Copyright Ross G. Paul |
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