CLUSTER ANALYSIS IN VERIFICATION OF THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE EVOLUTION MODEL OF AUTOMOTIVE ENTERPRISES

Purpose: The study verifies the theoretical model of the organizational structure evolution elaborated by the authors, which is based on the hypothesis that two types of production structures - sequential and parallel, dialectically replace each other, changing qualitatively in the process of growth and development. Design/methodology/approach: The industrial production sector is chosen as an object of analysis for determining the organizational structure largely by the formation of integrated structures. As a research method, a cluster analysis is applied. To conduct the study, a sample of 326 enterprises engaged in the production of vehicles located in the Czech Republic is selected. The source of data is the Albertina Gold Edition database. Findings: The organizational structure evolution model of industrial enterprises is generally confirmed. The theoretically determined pattern on the intensive growth during the transition from a parallel to a sequential production structure, and the extensive growth in the transition from a sequential production structure to parallel is also partially confirmed. Research/practical implications: The study results have overall confirmed the hypothesis put forward and showed partial alignment with the proposed theoretical model of the organizational structure evolution of industrial enterprises. Originality/value: Using the proposed model of the organizational structure evolution enables owners and management to rationally develop industrial enterprises in the long term, as well as give an additional impetus to the development of scientifically based models of organizational structures.