Sociology Chapter 7
Bureaucracy
(Became common during the Industrial Revolution) An organizational model rationally designed to perform tasks effeciently
Organizational environment
A range of factors outside the organization that affects its operation (Technology, Economic & political trends, Population patterns, Other organizations)
In-group
A social group commanding a member's esteem and loyalty
Reference group
A social group that serves as a point of reference for people making evaluations or decisions
Out-group
A social group toward which one feels competition or opposition
Dyad
A social group with 2 members -Social interaction is typically intense -Typically less stable than larger groups
Triad
A social group with 3 members -More stable than dyads -Any 2 members can form a majority of coalition
Rationality
Although efficient, may be irrational and highly dehumanizing
58%
By the end of the 20th century, white men in the U.S. held _____% of management jobs
Expressive leadership
Group leadership that emphasizes collective well-being
Instrumental leadership
Group leadership that emphasizes the completion of tasks
Postindustrial economy
Has created many highly skilled jobs, more routine service jobs, and offers few of the benefits that today's highly skilled workers enjoy
Intelligent Organizations
Have become more productive than ever
Janis
His research dealt with a process called GROUPTHINK
Solomon Asch
His research into group conformity showed us that many of us are willing to compromise our own judgment and to avoid being different, even from people we do not know
Stanley Milgram
His research into obedience suggests that people are more likely to follow directions from not only "legitimate authority figures," but also groups of oridnary individuals, even when it means inflicting harm on another person
Stouffer
His research on reference group dynamics showed that we do not make judgments about ourselves in isolation, nor do we compare ourselves with just anyone
Georg Simmel
Influenced the names for group size:
Members of organizations try to personalize their procedures and surroundings
Informal side of bureaucracy:
McDonaldization of society
Principles of fast-food restaurants are dominating other sectors of society. Highly standardized and regulated. More automated systems are employed instead of human beings.
Social diversity
Race, ethnicity, class, & gender
"Iron Law of Oligarchy"
Refers to the pyramid shape of bureaucracy placing a few leaders in charge of organizational resources
Primary group
Small social group whose members share personal and enduring relationships -People share many activities, spend a great deal of time together, and feel they know one another well -Families are these types of groups in that they are the first groups we experience in life and because they are of central importance in socialization process -Members think of the group as an end in itself rather than as a means to other ends
Scientific management
The application of scientific principles to the operation of a business or other large organization
Primary & secondary
Two types of social groups:
Creative autonomy, Competitive work teams, Flatter organization, Greater flexibility
Ways in which today's organizations differ from those of a century ago: (4)
Network
Web of weak social ties
"Female advantage"
Women bring a "________ __________" to companies striving to be more flexible and democratic
loyalty; opposition
__________ to in-group; __________ to out-group
Organizational "flexibility"
___________ ____________ that gives better-off workers more autonomy carries the threat of "downsizing" for rank-and-file employees
dyad
a 2-member group; very intimate, but unstable given its size
group; crowd
a crowd can become a _______, then a ______ again
group
a crowd that begins to riot might be considered a __________
secondary groups
a large, impersonal social group whose members pursue a specific goal or activity -traits: large membership, goal or activity orientation, formal and polite -secondary relationships: weak emotional ties, short term -examples: co-worker and political organizations
Reference group
a social group that serves as a point of reference in making evaluations and decisions
crowd
a temporary cluster of people; a group can have temporal status
networks
a web of weak social ties, people we know of or who know of us
3 steps of scientific management:
a) Managers observe taks performed by workers b) Managers analyze data to discover ways for workers to become more efficient c) Management provides guidance and incentives to workers to be more efficient
bureaucracy
an organizational model rationally designed to perform tasks efficiently
scientific management
application of scientific principles to the operation of a business or large organization
Michels
concentrates power and threatens democracy (oligarchy viewpoint)
efficiency
do it quickly (McDonaldization)
outward
heterogenous groups turn _________- diverse membership promotes interaction with outsiders
control
humans are most unreliable factor (McDonaldization)
changing nature of work
info-based organizations; creative autonomy, competitve work teams, flatter organization, and greater flexibility
inward
large groups turn ____________- members have realtionships among themselves
formal organizations
large secondary groups organized to achieve goals efficiently; date back thousands of years
authoritarian
leader makes decision; compliance from members
uniformity
leave nothing to change (McDonaldization)
laissez-faire
mainly let group function on its own
utilitarian
material rewards for members (formal organization)
democratic
member involvement
Janis' research
negative side of groupthink; group members can conform, resulting in narrow view of some issue (ex; cuba/Bay of Pigs with Kennedy)
group
not every individual forms a _______
race and gender
pattern of exclusion; "female advantage"
expressive
people-oriented group leadership role
bureaucratic inertia
perpetuation of the organization
social boundaries
physical boundaries create ___________ boundaries
bureaucratic alienation
potential to dehumanize individuals
bureaucratic inefficiency and ritualism
preoccupation w/ rules, interferes w/ meeting goals
coercive
punsihment or treatment; total institutions (formal organization)
Weber
rational systems are efficient but dehumanizing
Milgram's research
role authority plays; following orders
primary groups
small social groups whose members sharre personal, lasting relationships -traits: small, personal orientation (family), enduring -primary relationships: first group experienced in life (family); irreplaceable -assistance of all kinds: emotional to financial
Instrumental
task-oriented group leadership role
oligarchy
the rule of the many by the few; helps distance officials from the public
predictability
use set formulas (McDonaldization)
japanese organizations
value cooperation; organizational loyalty
normative
voluntary organizations; ties to personal morality (formal organization)
stouffer's research
we compare ourselves in relation to specific reference groups
Asch's research
willingness to compromise our own judgments; line experiment (conformity)
many people with a status in common
women, homeowners, soldiers, millionaires, college graduates, and Roman catholics
categories
women, homeowners, soldiers, millionaires, college graduates, and Roman catholics- are not groups, but ______________
4 ways that social diversity incluences group contact:
1. Larger a group, more likely members will maintain relationships only w/ other members 2. More internally heterogenous a group is, more likely that its members will interact w/ outsiders 3. Greater the overall social parity within setting, more likely it is that people from diverse backgrounds will mingle and form ties 4. Physical space affects the chances of contact among members
instrumental & expressive
2 goals of group leadership:
Social group
2 or more people who identify and interact with one another
1
2 people form _______ relationship
Instrumental & expressive
2 types of group leadership:
authoritarian, democratic, laissez-faire
3 leadership styles of group leadership:
3
3 people form _______ relationships
Authoritarian, Democratic, & Laissez-faire
3 styles of decision-making in groups:
Utilitarian, coercive, & normative
3 types of formal organizations:
triad
3-member group; more stable than the dyad and more types of interaction are possible
6
4 people form _______ relationships
Efficiency, Calculability, Uniformity & predictability, Control & automation
4 principles of McDonaldization:
10
5 people form _______ relationships
Specialization, Hierarchy of offices, Rules & regulations, Technical competence, Impersonality, Formal & written communications
6 key chracterisitics of bureaucracy identified by Max Weber:
15
6 people form _______ relationships
21
7 people form _______ relationships
Hiring & advancement, Lifetime security, Holistic involvement, Broad-based training, Collective decision making
Differences b/t formal organizations in Japan & the U.S: (5)
Secondary groups
Large and impersonal social groups devoted to some specific interest or activity -Involve weak social ties, commonly short term, goal oriented, typically impersonal
Formal organizations
Large, secondary groups that are organized to achieve goals efficiently
Laissez-faire leadership
Leadership that allows the group to function more or less on its own
Authoritarian leadership
Leadership that focuses on instrumental concerns, takes personal charge of decision-making, and demands strict compliance from subordinates
Democratic leadership
Leadership that is more expressive and tries to include everyone in the decision-making process
Robert Michels
Made the link between bureaucracy and oligarchy
Utilitarian
Organizations in which people join in pursuit of material rewards
Normative
Organizations or voluntary associations in which people pursue goals they consider morally worthwhile
Coercive
Organizations which are distinguished by involuntary membership
Bureaucratic inefficiency & ritualism
The preoccupation with rules and regulations to the point of thwarting an organization's goals
Bureaucratic alienation
The reduction of the human being to a "small cog in a ceaselessly moving mechanism" (Weber)
Oligarchy
The rule of the many by the few
Bureaucratic inertia
The tendency of bureaucratic organizations to perpetuate themselves
Groupthink
The tendency of group members to conform by adopting a narrow view of some issue
