Conceptualizing and Measuring Organizational Environments: A Critique and Suggestions

Abstract

This article reviews and critiques Sharfnan and Dean's (1991) approach to the conceptualization and measurement of organizational environments. We raise three major issues that need to be addressed in order to enhance the reliability and validity of their environmental measures. These are concerns about the dimensionality of environmental constructs, problems associated with the measurement of environmental variables, and limitations regarding the predictive validity of the study.