W. Richard Scott

W. Richard (Dick) Scott is a professor of sociology, emeritus, with courtesy appointments in the Schools of Business, Education, and Medicine. His major field is organizational studies and among the many types of organizations studied are educational, research, and healthcare organizations. His most recent empirical research project examined changes in the healthcare delivery systems in the San Francisco Bay area during the second half of the 20th century. Changes in five populations of healthcare organizations (eg, hospitals, HMOs, HHAs) were depicted and explained in terms of wider changes in the material resource (eg, demographic characteristics and financial resources) and institutional environments (eg, changes in regulatory, normative, and belief systems). He continues to focus on the general issues of institutional influences on organizational forms and functions, including changes in political regimes and policies.