Chapter 6 Flashcards
social group
a collection of people who regularly interact on the basis of shared expectations of behavior and share a common sense of identity
social aggregate
a collection of people who happen to be together ina particular place but do not interact or identify with one another
social category
people who share a common characteristic but do not identify or interact with each other, the aspect of a social group is missing
primary groups
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
secondary groups
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
organization
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
formal organization
a group that achieves its objectives by means of explicit rules, regulations, and procedures
in groups
groups toward which one feels loyalty and respect, where we feel like we belong
out groups
groups toward which one feels antagonism and contempt
reference group
a group that provides a standard for judging one’s attitudes or behaviors, can be primary or secondary
dyad
a group of two people. Have intimacy and conflict, less stable, more intense. Require full attention and cooperation to survive.
triad
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
trends as group size increases
less intense interactions, stability and exclusivity increase. If you have a relationship that doesn’t work out, you can easily move to another
bureaucracy
an organization ruled by authoritative officials with written rules. Staffed by full time officials. Common in large scale groups
ideal type
a pure type that emphasizes traits of something that do not exist in reality
ideal type bureaucracy characteristics
- Clear cut hierarchy of authority: has chain of command, tasks are distributed as official duties
- Written rules govern the conduct of officials at all levels of organization: rules at higher levels are more flexible and require more interpretation
- Officials work full time and are salaried: individuals make career in organization, promotions are based on capability and/or seniority
- Tasks as an official and outside life are separate
- No members of the organization own the materials in which they operate
formal relations
relationships in organizations as laid down by norms/rules of the organization
informal relations
offer more flexibility, relationships in organizations that are personal, methods of conduct depart from recognized methods, exist at all levels of an organization
characteristics of rationalization
efficiency, calculability, uniformity and control
limitation of the internet
not everyone has equal internet access
iron law of oligarchy
term coined by Robert Michels meaning that large organizations tend toward centralization of power, making democracy difficult
drawbacks to telecommuting
- you lose the human side of working
- telecommuters experience isolation, distraction and conflict of home and work life
- management can not easily monitor telecommuters
advantages of network organizations over bureaucratic ones
- foster information flow
2. enhance creativity
