The paper examines the concept, determinants, and implications of the effectiveness of complex organizations in the Indian development context. The terms effectiveness, complex organization, and Indian developmental context are first discussed briefly. A model of organizational effectiveness drawing upon global work on contingency, systems, strategic choice, and synergy approaches is presented. Post-1976 Indian work relevant to organizational effectiveness is surveyed, with the organization as a whole rather than the individual organizational member, as the focus of enquiry. An attempt is made to examine the contribution of this work in terms of the delineated model of organizational effectiveness of strategic organizations that play a vital role in socio-economic development. The review summarizes the findings on the determinants and consequences of organizational effectiveness. It concludes by identifying some major research gaps and proposes several hypotheses to spur fresh research.