The Evolution Of Management Population Ecology Theory – A Literature Review

While researching the life cycle and survival of rural hospitals, I was faced with the choice of which theoretical model would best support my thesis. Population Ecology (PE) theory was the obvious choice, but my research needed to address not only the macro environment for these hospitals, but their micro and meso environments as well. Further research for the best theory added to my confusion. Most of the early formulations of PE Theory addressed only the macro aspects of an organization, using additional theories to describe the organization’s micro and meso attributes because, at this early stage in the life of PE theory, it was considered unsuitable for use as anything but a macro analysis tool. Other researchers were using PE to describe all the environmental properties, even though respected sources still insisted that it was incorrect. The solution was to discover what was happening to PE theory; what was I missing? Had PE Theory evolved? This paper explores Population Ecology theory, starting with the development of the theory in 1977 by Hannan and Freeman, and follows it through the changes and refinements that led to its current version as an integrated toolkit by Soylu in 2008. This Literature Review documents the beginnings and evolution of Population Ecology Theory from a partially accepted theory, suitable only for a macro view of an industry to that of a robust, well-accepted tool that is suitable for the analysis of an organization’s total environment.