Shaping the amorphous: organisational form for a national railway system

Abstract

Organisational form is one of the key determinants of Organisational performance. Choice of Organisational form for public organizations in developing countries can facilitate or inhibit performance. In this paper an approach for choosing appropriate Organisational forms is outlined for public organizations using three steps: 1. Mapping key stakesholders 2. Deriving criteria for choice of form from stakeholder expectations 3. Matching criteria to alternatives. The approach is illustrated using the example of a national railway system. Some lessons for theorists and practitioners are drawn.