Half a century after emerging as a leading theory in the then nascent field of organization theory, structural contingency theory seems to have disappeared from the scholarly stage. Have theoretical and methodological deficiencies predestined the theory to oblivion? Was it the lack of empirical support or practical application? Was the theory doomed by its failure to adapt to new conditions or was it rendered obsolete by the emergence of new theories with superior explanatory power? Or was the decline the result of the dispersion of its research community and the rise of strategy at the expense of organization theory? These questions and more are addressed in this paper as part of a ‘theoretical autopsy’ seeking explanations for the theory’s decline or demise. Repercussions for current and emerging organization and management theories are delineated.

中文翻译：

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结构权变理论的兴衰：一种理论的“尸检”

在作为当时新生的组织理论领域的主导理论出现半个世纪之后，结构权变理论似乎已经从学术舞台上消失了。理论和方法论的缺陷是否注定了该理论被遗忘？是缺乏经验支持还是实际应用？该理论是由于无法适应新条件而注定要失败，还是由于具有更高解释力的新理论的出现而变得过时？还是其研究团体的分散和战略的兴起以牺牲组织理论为代价的结果？这些问题以及更多问题在本文中作为“理论尸检”的一部分进行了讨论，旨在为该理论的衰落或消亡寻求解释。