Final answer:
The correct answer is option a. Contingency, which denotes fitting the organization to its environment by considering various internal and external factors in its structural alignment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process of fitting the organization to its environment is referred to as the contingency approach to organizational structure. This approach suggests that the best way to organize a company is to align its structure with various internal and external factors, ensuring that the organization can adapt and respond effectively to changes in its environment. The contingency approach is contrasted with other organizational structure approaches such as bureaucratic, which relies on a strict hierarchy and formal rules, or top-down, which centralizes decision-making to the leadership.
Option a. Contingency is the answer to the question. It underscores the importance of flexibility and adaptiveness in an organization's approach, whereas other systems like authoritarian (top-down) leadership, traditional authority, and the characteristics of bureaucracies provide more rigid and hierarchically structured frameworks.