Resource dependencies of old age homes: Definitions and measurements

This article presents an approach to operationalizing and measuring the theoretical concept of "resource dependency" of organizations, based on the Resource Dependency Theory, which views organizations as dependent upon resources they can enlist from their environments. A measure that quantifies organizational dependency, which was carried out within forty-seven old age homes in Israel, was developed. The measure includes seven dimensions; degree of resource control, number of sources, types of sources, degrees of resource essentiality, degree of certainty, impact of resource reduction or cessation, and availability of alternative sources. Measuring and scoring procedures are introduced for three different types of resources: revenues, clients, and services. Methodological aspects of the procedures are discussed and implications for practice and further research are proposed.