Max Weber

Sociology’s Task

  • Weber concerned with the subjective understanding

    • Verstehen

  • subjective & objective knowledge sought (observe objective behavior but consider subjective)

  • social action as both a behavioral component and an interpretive component and is meaningfully oriented toward the behavior of others

  • all knowledge or observation of social action is historically and culturally situated

Culture & Economics

  • links 2 domains of activity:

    • culture (beliefs/values/worldviews)

    • economics

    • The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism

    • how religious beliefs/other-worldly concerns shape worldly material practices

The Protestant Ethic

  • protestants likely to have business occupations

  • spirit of (early) modern capitalism distinguished by hard word and asceticism (frugality); not by greed or self-indulgence

  • look to the historical-cultural explanation → the protestant reformation - 1517; break away from Catholicism

    • Martin Luther (1483-1546) and ideas about ones’ “calling”

      • rejected the hierarchical authority structure and doctrines of the catholic church

      • emergence of Protestantism

Calvinist Beliefs

  • John Calvin (1509-1564)

  • purpose of this world: to serve god diligently

  • individual stands alone before god (no mediating sacraments)

  • god’s will can not be known (no priest, etc.,. can interpret god’s will for the individual believer)

  • predestination; one’s salvation already decided/pre-ordained by god; cannot change god’s mind

From Beliefs to Action

  • individual concern with salvation (heaven/hell); the afterlife

    • idea of a “calling”, a vocation (job) to satisfy god

    • “rationalization” - success in this world is a sign of salvation in the next world, afterlife

Rationalization

  • Calvinists demonstrate proof of salvation through hard work, self-control, self-discipline

  • “every hour lost is lost to labor for the glory of god”

  • avoid spontaneous enjoyment and anything that would distract from work; rationalization impacts everyday life

Puritan Ethic

  • hard work, combined with asceticism (frugality), produces money/profit accumulation

  • save and invest the profits of labor

  • this helps in turn to expand capitalism

  • unintended consequence of calvinists’ religious beliefs and their rationalization of those beliefs

  • expansion of individualism

Ideal Types

  • conceptual analytical devices

  • ideal types of characteristics or behaviors; “pure” form

  • can create an ideal type of any social phenomenon

  • aids in comparative analysis (e.g., the ideal typical protestant compared to the ideal typical Buddhist)

  • Weber uses to study social action

Types of Meaningful Social Action

  • Rational Action

    • instrumental rational action (most common in modern society)

    • value-rational action

  • Non-Rational Action

    • emotional

    • traditional

Power, Authority, Domination

  • power: ability to carry out an action despite resistance, i.e., exert one’s will over another

  • authority/domination: others will obey and follow commands

  • ideal types of authority (modern vs traditional)

    • modern society: rational, legal authority; social relationship/institutional practices based on impersonal, rationally established rules and laws

    • traditional society: non-rational forces, sanctity of tradition, observe long standing rules and powers

Ideal Types of Authority

  • legal-rational authority: ex. nation states, bureaucracies

  • traditional authority: ex. monarchy, catholic church

  • charismatic authority: business leaders, cult leaders, pop stars

Rational Legal Authority

  • the state: a rational legal actor

  • a human community that can legitimately use physical force, violence

    • protect the nation’s territory

    • protect the nation’s security

  • states seek to expand their prestige/power vis-a-vis other states

    • not always through subjugation/force; use non-violent means

  • bureaucracy; formal organizations

  • bureaucratic authority pervades modern society/evidence across all institutional spheres

    • govt

    • universities

    • economic corporations

    • the military

    • churches

    • sports organizations

  • bureaucracy: a rational, efficient way of organizing and accomplishing tasks in a modern, complex society

Characteristics of Bureaucracy

  • impersonal criteria in social relations; obligations of office

  • hierarchy of offices/divisions/personnel

  • division of labor, specific competencies

  • contractual relationships; open recruitment

  • technical qualifications; certified expertise; merit; appointed not elected

  • fixed salaries/benefits

  • office is primary occupation

  • system of promotion; seniority; impersonal criteria

  • workers do not own means of administration

  • systematic discipline in the conduct of office/rank obligations

Charismatic Authority

  • non-rational authority

  • can co-exist alongside legal rational, and traditional authority

  • charisma

    • resides in the individual; persona grace/charm; charismatic personality

    • the charismatic individual persuades people to do things - has authority over them

  • charismatic community: unified by members’ shared emotional attachment to the charismatic leader

Routinization of Charisma

  • charismatic authority is temporary; resides in the individual (not in bureaucratic office/occupation)

  • charisma dies with the individual’s death/scandal, etc.

    • charisma can be routinized through the establishment of a bureaucratic organization designed to continue the charismatic indivdual’’s legacy/mission

Rationality & Culture

  • formal rationality, McDonald’s, consumerism

    • calculability

    • efficiency

    • predictability

    • use of non human labor (technology)

    • gain control over uncertainties

    • irrational or unintended consequences

Social Stratification

  • the processes determining individuals’ and groups’ objective location in the system of social classes

  • Weber, unlike Marx, sees multiple sources/gradients of inequality/stratification

  • class; economic resources

  • status; social status/prestige/honor

  • political power

Class

  • class group: individuals who have similar life chances as a result of property, income, and labor market opportunity

  • property ownership as a major determinant of economic resources/class

  • multiple classes: working class, lower middle-class, middle class, profession/managerial/business class

Status

  • legitimate claims to social esteem

    • family ancestry

    • education

    • club membership

    • style of life; consumption

  • social status analytically independent of economic class; economic resources do not guarantee honor/prestige; though class and status closely interrelated

Power

  • political groups and associations (parties) strive to influence the distribution of power in society

  • political struggles over:

    • prestige/honor

    • the pursuit of particular goals

  • many pathways to social power; some legal, some illegal

Example of Bureaucracy & Formal Organizations

Leadership Styles

  • authoritarian: full control

  • democratic: equal representation

  • laissez-faire: hands off

  • charismatic: personality

Types of Authority

  • defined by the legitimate right to wield power

    • traditional: based on custom, birth right, divine right

    • legal-rational: based on laws, rules, procedures

    • charismatic: based on remarkable personal characteristics

Formal Organization

  • normative organizations - join voluntarily

  • coercive organizations - total institutions

  • utilitarian organizations - voluntary join to gain a material reward

  • bureaucracies

Qualities of Weber’s Ideal Type

  • division of labor

  • hierarchy of authority

  • rule & regulations

  • qualification based employment

  • impersonal

Problems with Weber’s Ideal Type of Bureaucracy

  • inefficiency & rigidity

  • resistant to change

  • perpetuate race, class, gender inequalities

Iron Law

  • bureaucracy as oligarchy - bureaucracies become ruled by a few, leaders cling to control, and even democratic bureaucracies become oligarchies

  • Weber called this the iron law of oligarchy

Corporate Culture

  • two major influences

    • Frederick Taylor, Scientific Management

    • Human Relations Approach that emphasizes the role of people and communication in organization

Alternative Management Models

  • Japanese style of management: collective orientation toward work

  • transformative management: mixture of human resource approach and corporate culture

Gender & Race in the Workplace

  • labor market stratification for women

    • career vs. mommy track

  • lack of networking opportunities for both women and men of color

  • tokenism

  • affirmative action

McDonaldization of Society

  • rationalization achieved by:

    • efficiency

    • calculability

    • uniformity

    • control through automation