Sociology test 2 chp 5

Organizational environment

Factors outside an organization that affect its operation. technology, economic and political trends, available workforce. modern organizations are shaped by technology. all organizations are helped or hurt by periodic economic growth or recession.

secondary group

a large and impersonal social group whose members pursue a specific goal or activity. involve weak emotional ties and little personal knowledge of one another. students enrolled in the same course. includes many more people than primary. interactions among students, co workers, business associates are pleasant even if they are impersonal. look for what they can do for each other not what they are. usually formal and polite.

Laissez-faire leadersip

allows group to function more or less on its own. the least effective in promoting group goals.

Bureaucracy

an organizational model rationally designed to perform tasks efficiently. Specialization, hierarchy of offices, rules and regulations, techincal competence, impersonality, formal written communications.

scientific management

application of scientific principles to the operation of a business or other large organization. identify all operations involved and measuring the time needed for each. managers analyze their data, discover ways for workers to perform each job more efficiently. provides guidance and incentives for workers to do their jobs more efficiently.

Stouffers research

conducted a classic study of reference groups during WW2. those assigned to units with lower promotion rates looked around them and saw people making no more headway than they were. units with hi promotion rates could think of many people who had promoted sooner or more often than they had. we form a subjective sense of our well being by looking at ourselves relative to specific reference groups.

anticipatory socialization

conforming to groups we do not belong to is a strategy to win acceptancc.

Tradition

consists of values and beliefs passed from generation to generation. makes a society conservative. it limits an organizations efficiency and ability to change

bureaucratic ritualism

describe focusing on rules and regulations to the point of undermining an organizations goals.

Authoritarian leadership

focuses on instrumental concerns. takes personal charge of decision making and demands that members obey orders.

Asch study

found that one third of all subjects chose to conform by answering incorrectly. many of us are willing to compromise our own judgment to avoid the discomfort of being different.

Simmel

georg simmel explored dynamics n the smallest social groups

Expressive leadership

group leaders focus on the groups well being. take less interest in achieving goals and focus on promoting the well being of members and minimizing tension and conflict among members. build personal primary ties. offer sympathy to members going through tough times. receive more affections

Instrumental leadership

group leadership that focuses on the completion of tasks. mak plans, give orders, and get things done. have formal secondary relations with other members. reward or punish people. enjoy respect.

Group conformity

groups promote conformity. provides a secure feeling of belonging.

Coercive organizations

have involuntary memberships. prisons, psychiatric wards. isolate people for period of time in order to raidcally change their attitudes and behaviors.

rationalization of society

historical changes from tradition to rationality as the main type of human thought.

Formal organization

large secondary groups organized to achieve their goals efficiently. corporations and government agencies.

Large groups turn inward

larger a group, morelikely its members are to concentrate relationships among themselves. as their numbers rise they become more likely to form their own social group.

Democratic leader

making a point of including everyone in the decision making process.

Heterogeneous groups turn outward

more socially diverse a group is, more likely its members are to interact with outsiders.

utilitarian organiziations

one that pays people for their efforts. business, government, school system. join to make a living.

Milgram

only a few of 40 subjects assigned to the role of teacher even questioned the procedure before reaching the dangerous level. people are likely to follow the directions not only of legitimate authority figures but also of groups of ordinary individuals. even if it means harming other people.

Category

people with common status, women, americans, mormons, etc.

Bureaucratic intertia

refers to the tendency of bureaucratic organizations to perpetuate themselves. u.s. dept of ag has officials in every county in all states. just 1% of the population works in farming.

primary groups

small social group whose members share personal and lasting relationships. spend a great deal of time together. family is societys most important. they are among the first groups we experience in life. view members as unique and irreplaceable.

physcial boundaries create social boundaries

social group is physically segregated from others. its members are less likely to interact with other people. (own dorm)

Reference groups

social group that serves as a point of reference in making evaluations and decisions. reference groups can be primary or secondary. man imagines family reaction to women dating, using family as reference group.

In group

social group toward which a member feels respect and loyalty.

out group

social group toward which a person feels a sense of competition or opposition. we have valued traits that they lack.

Triad

social group with three members more stable than a dyad because one member can act as a mediator. as groups grow more than 3, they become more stable and capable of withstanding the loss on one or more members. reduce the intense inteaction possible. large groups based on more formal rules/regulations.

crowd

students in a large stadium interact limited extent.

Oligarchy

the fule of the many by the few. places few leaders in charge of the resources of the entire organization.

Groupthink

the tendency of group members to conform resulting in a narrow view of something. Bay of Pigs. .

dyad

to designate a social group with two members. more intesnse than larger groups. they are unstable. must work to keep the relationship going. marriage more stable with legal, economic, religious ties.

Normative organizations

to pursue some goal they think is morally worthwhile. U.S. most likely to join voluntary associations. service groups, pta

Social group

two or more people who identify with and interact with one another. groups contain people with shared experiences, loyalties, and interests.

rationality

way of thinking that emphasizes deliberate calculation of the most efficient way to accomplish a particular task. pays little attention to the past and is open to any changes that might get the job done better.

Network

web of weak social ties. includes people we know of or who know of us but whom we interact rarely. milgram concluded everyone is connected to everyone else by six degrees of seperation. network ties may be weak but they can be a powerful resource. networks of priviledged people are social capital, lead to high paying jobs. gender shapes networks. women include more relatives in networks and men include more co-workers.

Bureaucracy

weber regulates every activity. real life organizations human beings are creative enough to resist bureaucratic regulation. it dehumanizes the peole it is supposed to serve. impersonality that fosters efficiency keeps officials and clients from responding to each others uniqe personal need. Formal organizations create alienation. reducing the human to a small cog in a ceaselessly moving mechanism.