Who Shall Rule? A Political Analysis of Succession in a Large Welfare Organization

The study of succession has long formed a central topic for political scientists precisely because both the process and outcome of succession situations-how the appointment is made and who is appointed to positions of ultimate authority-are vital indices of the underlying political structure and reflective of the directions and processes of change in politics. Who succeeds to positions of ultimate authority in any social system (be it nation states, municipalities, or large-scale organizations) may affect three basic political processes: the allocation of organizational resources and rewards (the internal distribution of power), the definition of organizational goals, and the relationship of the organization to the environment. Since Alvin Gouldner published Patterns of Industrial Bureaucracy a decade ago,1 sociologists have pursued a fruitful study of the process and effects of succession in large-scale organizations. Although Gouldner's original study touched on the process of selection of the successor and the political consequences of the succession for the organization,2 many of the later studies have not examined the political implications of the succession. Instead, they have focused on effectiveness,3 tyle of leadership,4 and the association of rates and types of succession with size and other characteristics of the total system.5 These later studies of succession fall into a tradition of sociological research which combines a focus on organizations as social systems with a behavioristic approach. Although these studies have implications for political processes they have not focused on the central political problem of succession: the process and consequences of the transfer of