Chapter 6: Groups, orgz, instutions

Social group

consists of two or more people who interact with one another and who share a common identity.

 Examples: family, friends, athletic team

Primary group

is a relatively small group of people who engage in intimate face-to-face interaction over an extended period of time.

 Examples: families and close friends

Secondary group

large, formal, impersonal, and a temporary collection of people that pursues a specific goal or activity.

 Examples: classes, work groups,

Ashes expriment

People will agree with obviously false judgments. ashes confedrests choose incorrect lines and so did the non confedretes(following what others where doing)

Zimbardo’s (Stanford)

People will perform assigned roles in a group.

group pressure to conform

guards became super agressive in their roles had to stop expriment

prisoners did not leave and stuck it out

inhumane tasks

Milgram’s experiments

People will cause pain to others if ordered to do so. fake electric shocker(they did not know) continued to cause pain when told to do so

formal organization

complex and structured secondary groups deliberately created to achieve

specific goals

 Include voluntary associations and bureaucracies

bureaucracy

1. formal organization 2. deisgned to accomplish goals/tasks 3. most effiecent and reational way possible 4. large number of people

Characteristics of bureaucracy (5)

-High degree of division of labor and specialization

 Hierarchy of authority

 Explicit written rules and regulations

 Impersonality

 Qualification-based employment

Shortcomings of bureaucracy

-Weak reward systems

 Rigid rules

 Goal displacement: a preoccupation with rules

and regulations rather than achieving objectives

 Alienation: isolation, meaninglessness,

powerlessness

four dimensions of McDonalization of Society

efficiency, 

calculability, 

predictability, and 

control

efficiency, 

DO IT QUICKLY

– Reduces human interaction between

customer & company

Optimum method to complete a task

(p.12)

– Getting cheapest unit price

example:ATMs: You enter withdrawal or deposit

info to a computer. Reduces human

interaction

calculability, 

– DO IT ACCORDING TO PLAN

Emphasized quantity over quality

(bigger is better)

– Everything must be able to be

measured

predictability

LEAVE NOTHING TO CHANCE

The same experience at ALL

locations

• For example: same tasting food

control

HUMANS ARE MOST UNRELIABLE FACTOR

Reduce human interaction = increased human control by company

– Humans easier to replace

– Machines don’t get sick, get married

social institutions

an organized and established social system that meets one or more of a societys basic needs

Funcionalist

groups and formal organizations are composed of interrelated, mutually dependent

parts.

 Bureaucratic regulations allow goal achievement,

presumably benefitting all employees.

 Organizations can be dysfunctional.

Symbolic interactionist

emphasize that how

people define a situation shapes group dynamics and

organizations.

Conflict theorist

contend that organizations are based on differences in power and control.

 Place in an organization is often based on race, ethnicity, gender, or social class.

 Owners and managers exploit workers

Primary group opissite of

Secondary group

In group oppisite of

Out group

In group

share idenitity exlude outsider

out group

people viewed and treated negatively for differnt value from ones own

Janis

why people in group make bad deicions

group think- mental effiencey detoriates results from in group pressure