Introduction to Sociology Ninth Edition

1. Groups, Networks, and Organizations Chapter 6 Introduction to Sociology Ninth Edition Anthony Giddens, Mitchell Duneier, Richard P. Appelbaum, & Deborah Carr

2. Groups, Networks, and Organizations • Military discipline at West Point Academy is most heavily dependent on: • (a) fear of punishment by superiors. • (b) positive reinforcement from superiors. • (c) group loyalty and conformity to social norms. • (d) personal motivation and self-discipline.

3. Learning Objectives • Basic Concepts • Learn the variety and characteristics of groups as well as the effect groups have on individual behavior • Know how to define an organization and understand how organizations developed over the last two centuries • Theories of Groups, Organizations, and Networks • Learn Max Weber’s theory of organizations and view of bureaucracy • Understand the importance of the physical setting of organizations and Michel Foucault’s theory of surveillance • Understand the importance of social networks and the advantages they give some people

4. Learning Objectives • Contemporary Research on Groups and Networks • Learn what the term “McDonaldization” means. • Understand how social networks can influence you in unexpected ways • See how the Internet has transformed relationships between groups and social networks • Unanswered Questions • Become familiar with alternatives to bureaucracy that have developed in other places and in recent times • Think about the influence of technology on organizations

5. Basic Concepts • Social Group • A collection of people who regularly interact with one another on the basis of shared expectations about behavior and who share a sense of a common identity

6. Basic Concepts • Social Group • Not a social aggregate • Not a social category

7. Basic Concepts

8. Basic Concepts • Primary groups • Friendships, families • Secondary groups • Sports teams, workplace, college classroom

9. Basic Concepts • Conformity • Asch’s research on groups and conformity

10. Basic Concepts • Conformity • Milgram’s research on obedience and authority

11. Basic Concepts • Organizations • An identifiable membership that engages in concerted collective actions to achieve a common purpose

12. Basic Concepts • Formal Organization • Rationally designed to achieve its objectives, often by means of explicit rules, regulations, and procedures • Dominant form of organization around the world • Bureaucracy

13. Basic Concepts • Networks • Sets of informal and formal ties that link people to each other • Networks may be connected to social groups, but not all members of the network are in the social group

14. Theories of Groups, Organizations, and Networks • In-Groups • “us” • loyalty and respect • Out-Groups • “those people” • antagonism and contempt

15. Theories of Groups, Organizations, and Networks • Reference Groups

16. Theories of Groups, Organizations, and Networks • The Effects of Size • Dyads • Triads • Larger groups • Organizations

17. Theories of Groups, Organizations, and Networks

18. Theories of Groups, Organizations, and Networks • Bureaucracy • Ideal type of bureaucracy • A “pure type” constructed by emphasizing certain traits of a social item that do not necessarily exist in reality

19. Theories of Groups, Organizations, and Networks • Characteristics of bureaucracy • Hierarchy of authority • Written rules • Paid positions based on skills and/or seniority • Work in the organization is impersonal and physically separated from home life • Workers do not own the work they do or the resources used to perform it

20. Theories of Groups, Organizations, and Networks • Relations in bureaucracies • Formal relations • Behavior guided by formal rules and subject to formal authority • Informal relations • Ways of doing things that depart from formally recognized modes of procedure

21. Theories of Groups, Organizations, and Networks • The Control of Time and Space • Timetables • regularize activities across time and space • Surveillance • Supervising activities of individuals or groups to ensure compliant behavior

22. Theories of Groups, Organizations, and Networks • Surveillance in organizations • Direct supervision • Keeping paper and computer files

23. Theories of Groups, Organizations, and Networks • The Strength of Weak Ties • Strong ties • Close friends and family • Weak ties • Distant relatives or remote acquaintances

24. Contemporary Research on Groups and Networks • George Ritzer’s The McDonaldization of Society • Efficient methods for accomplishing tasks • Fastest way from point A to point B • Calculability • Quantity over quality • Uniformity • Predictability and standardization

25. Contemporary Research on Groups and Networks • George Ritzer’s The McDonaldization of Society • Control through automation • Workers replaced by machines

26. Contemporary Research on Groups and Networks • The Music Lab Experiment • Tastes and preferences highly influenced by social networks • Quantity over quality

27. Contemporary Research on Groups and Networks

28. Contemporary Research on Groups and Networks • The Spread of Obesity • Social networks matter • Rigorous methodology • Social norms

29. Contemporary Research on Groups and Networks • The Internet as Social Network • Fosters creation of relationships • Expression of intimate feelings suppressed in face-to-face encounters • Can strengthen bonds • Access to organizations • Although there are still inequalities

30. Unanswered Questions • Democracy and Increasing Bureaucracy • Robert Michel’s iron law of oligarchy • Large organizations tend toward a centralization of power, making democracy difficult

31. Unanswered Questions • How are Organizations Reinventing Themselves? • Less hierarchical, more horizontal • Information and communication technology • Telecommuting

32. Unanswered Questions • Can the Traditional Organization Survive? • Fewer independent units • “Network enterprise” • “Enterprise web” • Decentralization

33. Concept Quiz Alicia went on a weekend retreat with her coworkers where they played games, did trust exercises, and spent time sharing personal stories about themselves with the others. After the retreat, Alicia started spending a lot more time outside of work with these coworkers, effectively transforming her work group into a ______. (a) secondary group (b) primary group (c) social aggregate (d) family

34. Concept Quiz The experiment performed by Solomon Asch demonstrated the extent to which individual behavior is influenced by ______. (a) opinion (b) individual perceptions (c) morality (d) group pressure

35. Concept Quiz What is one key difference between an in-group and a reference group? (a) An in-group provides positive standards to follow, while a reference group provides negative standards to oppose oneself to. (b) Individuals have close ties with their in-group but no ties with their reference group. (c) In-groups are groups to which one feels loyalty, while a reference group may provide standards for judging oneself without necessarily belonging to it or feeling loyalty to it. (d) In-groups are composed of real people, which reference groups are usually composed of fictional or altered characters.

36. Concept Quiz What is a dyad? (a) the sociological term for a double date (b) a group consisting of two people (c) the relationship between a particular in-group and out-group (d) a particular organizational structure where two authority structures are linked at the top levels

37. Concept Quiz Suki is a teacher at a large high school. Although school rules require teachers to fill out a request form anytime they want to use one of the school’s DVD players to show a film in class, Suki is friends with the audio-visual coordinator, who often lets her borrow a player without filling out the request form. When Suki does this, she is using ______________ rather than following formal procedures. (a) deviant methods (b) bureaucratic shortcuts (c) informal relations (d) networking

38. Concept Quiz Many bars use electronic pour spouts on their liquor bottles that only allow a certain measurement of liquor to be poured at one time. By controlling the bartender’s actions through automation, these pour spouts maintain the uniformity of drinks served and the efficiency of bartenders. Which concept from your text does this best illustrate? (a) formal relations (b) oligarchy (c) McDonaldization

39. Discussion Question: Thinking Sociologically According to George Simmel, what are the primary differences between dyads and triads? Explain, according to his theory, how the addition of a child would alter the relationship between a husband and wife. Does the theory fit the situation?

40. Discussion Question: Thinking Sociologically The advent of computers and the computerization of the workplace may change our organizations and relationships with coworkers. Explain how you see modern organizations changing with the adoption of newer information technologies.

41. This concludes the Lecture PowerPoint presentation for Chapter 6