Sociology ch.6 Groups and Organization.

“MeToo” movement

had been first used in this context in 2006 by activist Tarana Burke in an effort to empower women of color. But now used for stories of women who have experienced sexual harassment

Three primary sociological perspectives

Functionalist, Conflict, and Interactionist.

Functionalist perspective

big-picture, macro-level view that examines how different aspects of society are intertwined.

Conflict perspective

macroanalytical view, one that focuses on the genesis and growth of inequality.

Symbolic Interaction or Interactionist perspective.

micro-level view, these researchers look at the day-to-day interactions of groups. looks at issues like leadership style and group dynamics.

Group

an amorphous one and can refer to a wide variety of gatherings, from just two people, a club, a regular gathering of friends, or people who work together or share a hobby.

aggregate

, or a crowd.

Category

Another example of a nongroup is people who share similar characteristics but are not tied to one another in any way

Charles Horton Cooley

suggested that groups can broadly be divided into two categories: primary groups and secondary groups

primary groups

is usually fairly small and is made up of individuals who generally engage face-to-face in long-term emotional ways.

expressive functions

In various contexts, refer to the ability to convey emotions, feelings, and ideas, or to the role that someone plays in a social group to maintain emotional well-being and relationships

Secondary groups

often larger and impersonal. They may also be task-focused and time-limited.

Instrumental function

than an expressive one, meaning that their role is more goal- or task-oriented than emotional.

Importance of Groups

One of the ways that groups can be powerful is through inclusion, and its inverse, exclusion.

William Sumner

developed the concepts of in-group and out-group to explain this phenomenon

in-group

the group that an individual feels she belongs to, and she believes it to be an integral part of who she is.

out-group

, is a group someone doesn’t belong to; often we may feel disdain or competition in relationship to an out-group.

examples of in-groups and out-groups.

Sports teams, unions, and sororities

More Info

Primary groups consist of both in-groups and out-groups, as do secondary groups.

reference group

a group that people compare themselves to—it provides a standard of measurement.

Some other examples of reference groups

e one’s cultural center, workplace, family gathering, and even parents.

dyad

or two-member group,

triad

is a three-member group

Georg Simmel

Studied Dyad and triad groups.

Group Leadership

In small, primary groups, leadership tends to be informal.

Leadership function

refers to the main goal of the leader, which may be instrumental or expressive

instrumental leader

is one who is goal-oriented and largely concerned with accomplishing set tasks.

, expressive leaders

are more concerned with promoting emotional strength and health, and ensuring that people feel supported.

laissez-faire

leader is hands-off, allowing group members to self-manage and make their own decisions

authoritarian leaders

issue orders and assign tasks with little to no feedback from group members.

Conformity

the extent to which an individual complies with group norms or expectations.

Psychologist Solomon Asch

conducted experiments that illustrated how great the pressure to conform is, specifically within a small group

bystander effect,

a situation in which people are less likely to interfere during an emergency or when a social norm is being violated if others are around.

formal organizations,

From schools to businesses to healthcare to government, these organizations are highly bureaucratized

bureaucracies

an ideal type of formal organization

Sociologist Amitai Etzioni

posited that formal organizations fall into three categories.

Normative organizations, voluntary organizations

are based on shared interests. As the name suggests, joining them is voluntary.

Coercive organizations

are groups that we must be coerced, or pushed, to join

Erving Goffman

Symbolic interactionist

total institutions

is one in which inmates or military soldiers live a controlled lifestyle and in which total resocialization takes place.

Utilitarian organizations

are joined because of the need for a specific material reward.

Max Weber

characterized a bureaucracy as having a hierarchy of authority, a clear division of labor, explicit rules, and impersonality

Hierarchy of authority

to the chain of command that places one individual or office in charge of another, who in turn must answer to her own superiors.

clear division of labor

each individual has a specialized task to perform.

explicit rules

Bureaucracies are rules that are outlined, written down, and standardized.

impersonality

which takes personal feelings out of professional situations.

meritocracies,

meaning that hiring and promotion is based on proven and documented skills, rather than on nepotism or random choice.

Michels (

suggested that all large organizations are characterized by the Iron Rule of Oligarchy, wherein an entire organization is ruled by a few elites.

e Iron Rule of Oligarchy

wherein an entire organization is ruled by a few elites.

McDonaldization of Society

refers to the increasing presence of the fast food business model in common social institutions, including government, education, and even relationships.