sociology
heyman
chpt.5-GroupsandFormalOrganizations3.pptxChpt. 5- Groups and Formal Organizations
Different Types of Groups
People who share common interests and a common identity.
Groups affect our individual (social) identity.
1. Primary Groups- exist as an end.
a. Personal and informal.
b. Usually long term.
c. Involves a broad range of activities.
*Examples?
(Different Types of Groups)
2. Secondary Groups- exist as a means to an end.
a. Formal and goal oriented.
b. Duration varies; often shorter term.
c. Involves a narrow range of activities.
*Examples?
Primary groups often emerge from secondary groups.
(Different Types of Groups)
3. In-Groups- groups that we feel loyal to.
4. Out-Groups- groups that we feel antagonism towards.
5. Reference Groups- groups we use as standards to evaluate ourselves.
The Power of the Group
1. The Asch Research- A test of visual perception.
*Results:
-33% answered incorrectly half the time.
-40% answered incorrectly less than half the time.
-25% always answered correctly.
(Power of the Group)
2. The Janis Research- Does group discussion improve decision making?
*Groupthink: the tendency of group members to conform by adopting a narrow view of some issue (tunnel vision).
**Examples: WMD’s in Iraq; Pearl Harbor.
The Power of Authority
3. The Milgram Experiment- Does punishment affect learning (memory)?
a. A “teacher” and a “learner.”
b. Electric shock machine (0-450 volts).
-An incorrect response would elicit a shock.
c. Presence of a legitimate authority figure.
-Scientist wearing a white lab coat.
d. Results: 26 out of 40 (65%) went all the way to 450 volts.
Bureaucracy
An organizational model rationally designed to perform complex tasks efficiently.
Ideal Type: A theoretical model that we can use
to compare to reality.
The Formal Side of Bureaucracy (Max Weber, 1864-1920): How Bureaucracies are supposed to operate.
1. Division of Labor- a specialization of tasks and duties.
2. Hierarchy of Offices- rankings of power.
(Bureaucracy)
3. Rules and Regulations
-To operate in a completely predictable fashion.
-Tradition should hold little influence.
4. Impersonal Evaluation/Treatment
-Employees evaluated based on technical competence (eliminates nepotism).
-Rules supersede personal needs (uniform treatment of all).
5. Formal, Documented Communications and Records.
-The heart of bureaucracy is paperwork not people.
Small groups are more personal and informal.
(Bureaucracy)
The Informal Side of Bureaucracy: How Bureaucracies operate in reality.
Problems of Bureaucracy:
1. Alienation
-Impersonal and dehumanizing.
-Unfriendly and indifferent.
2. Red Tape- Excessive regulation and rigid conformity to formal rules.
-Affects action and decision-making.
-Typical for governments, corporations and large organizations.
(Bureaucracy)
3. Oligarchy- the rule of the many by the few.
-The link between bureaucracy and politics.
*The “Iron Law of Oligarchy” (Robert Michaels, 1876-1936).
-Concentrates power and endangers democracy.
-Abuses of organizational power.
-Oligarchy thrives in the hierarchal structure of bureaucracy (political elites thrive).
Other Limitations of Bureaucracy
1. The Peter Principle- bureaucrats rise to their level of incompetence.
2. Parkinson’s Law- work expands to fill the time available for its completion.
