Download Chapter 5 Networks, Groups, and Organizations

Chapter 5
Networks, Groups, and
Organizations
Melanie Hatfield
Soc 100
Norms of Solidarity
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When we form relationships we develop shared
ideas or “norms of solidarity” about how we
should behave toward them to sustain
relationships.
Because these relationships are emotionally
important to us, we sometimes pay more
attention to norms of solidarity than to the
morality of our actions.
Obedience to Structures of Authority
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Structures of authority tend to render people
obedient.
Most people find it difficult to disobey
authorities because they fear ridicule, ostracism,
and punishment.
Milgram’s obedience experiment
Milgram’s Obedience Experiment
Bureaucratic Organization
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Bureaucracies are highly effective structures of
authority.
As Max Weber defined the term, a bureaucracy is a
large, impersonal organization composed of many
clearly define positions arranged in a hierarchy.
A bureaucracy has a permanent, salaried staff of
qualified experts and written goals, rules, and
procedures.
Staff member always try to find ways of running their
organization more efficiently.
Social Networks: It’s a Small World
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Our world is small because we are involved in
overlapping sets of social relations, or “social
networks.”
Social Network: a bounded set of individuals
who are linked by the exchange of material or
emotional resources.
The Value of Network Analysis
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The study of social networks clarifies a wide
range of social phenomena, including how
people find jobs; how information, innovations,
and communicable diseases spread; and how
some people exert influence over others.
The Building Blocks of Social
Networks
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Dyad: a social relationship between two nodes
or social units (people, firms, organizations,
countries).
Triad: a social relationship among three nodes or
social units (people, firms, organizations,
countries).
Dyad and Triad
Groups
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Social groups: composed of one or more
network of people who identify with one
another routinely interact, and adhere to defined
norms, roles, and statuses.
Social categories: people who share similar
status but do not routinely interact or identify
with one another.
Groups
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Primary groups: norms, roles and statuses are agreed
upon but are not put in writing. Social interaction
created emotional ties. It extends over a long period of
time and involves a wide range of activities. It results in
group members knowing one another well.
Secondary groups: larger and more impersonal than
primary groups. Compared with primary groups, social
interactions in secondary groups create weaker
emotional ties. It extends over a shorter period and
involves a narrow range of activities. It results in most
group members having at most a passing acquaintance
with one another.
Group Conformity
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Conformity is an integral part of group life.
Primary groups generate more pressure to
conform than secondary groups.
Asch’s experiment on group conformity
Asch’s Experiment on Group
Conformity
Group Conformity
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The likelihood of conformity increases as group size
increases to three or four members.
As group cohesiveness increases, so does the likelihood of
conformity.
Social status affects the likelihood of conformity. People
with low status are less likely to dissent.
Culture matters. People in individualistic societies like
the US tend to conform less.
The appearance of unanimity affects the likelihood of
conformity. One dissenting voice increases the chance
that others will dissent.
Groupthink
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The power of groups to ensure conformity is often a
valuable asset.
But being focused on the good of the group can have
its downside because the consensus of a group can
sometimes be misguided or dangerous.
Dissent might save the group from making mistakes,
but the pressure to conform despite individual
misgivings, or groupthink, can lead to disaster.
Group Boundaries
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In groups there is a distinction between the ingroup, those who belong, and the out-group,
those who do not belong.
How and why do these boundaries get drawn?
Group boundaries emerge when people compete for
scarce resources.
 Group boundaries emerge when people are
motivated to protect their self-esteem.
 The Robber’s Cave Study.
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Groups and Social Imagination
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A reference group is composed of people
against whom an individual evaluates his or her
situation or conduct - they function as role
models.
Reference groups may influence us even though
they represent a largely imaginary ideal.
Four Criticisms Against
Bureaucracies
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Dehumanization - Rather than treating clients
and personnel as individuals, bureaucracies
tend to treat clients as standard cases and
personnel as cogs in a giant machine.
Bureaucratic ritualism - Bureaucrats can get so
concerned with rules and regulations that it’s
difficult for the organization to fulfill its goals.
Four Criticisms Against
Bureaucracies
3.
4.
Oligarchy - Power tends to become
concentrated in the hands of a few people at
the top of the organizational pyramid.
Bureaucratic inertia - Bureaucracies are
sometimes so large and rigid they lose touch
with reality and continue their policies even
when their clients’ needs change.
Bureaucratic Inefficiency
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Two main factors underlie bureaucratic
inefficiency:
Size
 Social Structure
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Number of Possible Dyadic
Relationships by Number of People
in Group
Bureaucratic Structure
Leadership Styles
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In analyzing bureaucracies, sociologists observe
that leadership style has a major bearing on
bureaucratic performance.
Laissez-faire leadership
 Authoritarian leadership
 Democratic leadership
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Network Structure