Chapter 6

Question 1

social group

Answer 1

a collection of people who regularly interact on the basis of shared expectations of behavior and share a common sense of identity

Question 2

social aggregate

Answer 2

a collection of people who happen to be together ina particular place but do not interact or identify with one another

Question 3

social category

Answer 3

people who share a common characteristic but do not identify or interact with each other, the aspect of a social group is missing

Question 4

primary groups

Answer 4

groups characterized by intense emotional ties, face to face interaction, intimacy and a strong sense of enduring commitment. Long term influence on development of social self. People are often in these groups because they are fulfilling. More likely to enforce conformity

Question 5

secondary groups

Answer 5

groups characterized by large size and impersonal, fleeting relationships. People often join secondary groups to fulfill a goal and these can become primary groups. These arose with the emergence of larger agrarian societies

Question 6

organization

Answer 6

a large group of individuals with a set of authority relations that come together to do something they cannot do alone. It may be a small primary group, but is more likely to be a large secondary group. They are beaurocratic and more prevalent in industrialized societies

Question 7

formal organization

Answer 7

a group that achieves its objectives by means of explicit rules, regulations, and procedures

Question 8

in groups

Answer 8

groups toward which one feels loyalty and respect, where we feel like we belong

Question 9

out groups

Answer 9

groups toward which one feels antagonism and contempt

Question 10

reference group

Answer 10

a group that provides a standard for judging one’s attitudes or behaviors, can be primary or secondary

Question 11

dyad

Answer 11

a group of two people. Have intimacy and conflict, less stable, more intense. Require full attention and cooperation to survive.

Question 12

triad

Answer 12

a group consisting of 3 people. More stable than dyads, but alliances can form. Alliances are likely to form between weaker members against stronger members

Question 13

trends as group size increases

Answer 13

less intense interactions, stability and exclusivity increase. If you have a relationship that doesn’t work out, you can easily move to another

Question 14

bureaucracy

Answer 14

an organization ruled by authoritative officials with written rules. Staffed by full time officials. Common in large scale groups

Question 15

ideal type

Answer 15

a pure type that emphasizes traits of something that do not exist in reality

Question 16

ideal type bureaucracy characteristics

Answer 16

1. Clear cut hierarchy of authority: has chain of command, tasks are distributed as official duties
2. Written rules govern the conduct of officials at all levels of organization: rules at higher levels are more flexible and require more interpretation
3. Officials work full time and are salaried: individuals make career in organization, promotions are based on capability and/or seniority
4. Tasks as an official and outside life are separate
5. No members of the organization own the materials in which they operate

Question 17

formal relations

Answer 17

relationships in organizations as laid down by norms/rules of the organization

Question 18

informal relations

Answer 18

offer more flexibility, relationships in organizations that are personal, methods of conduct depart from recognized methods, exist at all levels of an organization

Question 19

characteristics of rationalization

Answer 19

efficiency, calculability, uniformity and control

Question 20

limitation of the internet

Answer 20

not everyone has equal internet access

Question 21

iron law of oligarchy

Answer 21

term coined by Robert Michels meaning that large organizations tend toward centralization of power, making democracy difficult

Question 22

drawbacks to telecommuting

Answer 22

1. you lose the human side of working
2. telecommuters experience isolation, distraction and conflict of home and work life
3. management can not easily monitor telecommuters

Question 23

advantages of network organizations over bureaucratic ones

Answer 23

1. foster information flow

2. enhance creativity