30 Questions
What is a notable example of a formal organization in traditional societies?
Western European guilds of the 12th century
What is a key trait of formal organizations?
Their tendency to become bureaucracies
According to Weber, what are the features of bureaucracies?
Not specified in the text
What is true about formal organizations in modern society?
They are a significant aspect of modern social life
What was the purpose of guilds in traditional societies?
To regulate trade and quality of work
What is true about the army and the Roman Catholic Church?
They are examples of early formal organizations
What is the primary reason why workers resist alienation in the workplace?
Because they need to feel appreciated and have control over their work
What is the term coined by Laurence Peter to describe the phenomenon of bureaucrats getting promoted to their level of incompetence?
The Peter principle
What is the primary difference between face-to-face engagement and mass communication?
The identity of the sender and receiver
What happens to some disgruntled employees who are unable to leave their jobs?
They become disengaged and maintain their jobs
What is the term used to describe the process of feeling disconnected from one's workplace and the outcomes of one's labor?
Alienation
What is the result of adding a multidimensional aspect to working interactions, according to Henslin?
Workers maintain their sense of being unique persons
What is the purpose of a clear division of labour in a bureaucracy?
To delegate tasks to the level below and ensure coordination among employees
What is the primary purpose of written regulations in a bureaucracy?
To make the organization more effective
What is the result of a bureaucracy's tendency to treat employees as interchangeable components?
Reduced employee morale
What is an example of bureaucratic dysfunctions?
Poor communication between units
What is the term for the phenomenon where employees feel like they are just doing a specific job, rather than being seen as unique individuals?
Bureaucratic alienation
What is the primary goal of a bureaucracy, despite its dysfunctions?
To achieve the organization's goals
What is a characteristic of media communication, according to Denis McQuail?
It has a low variability of response.
What is the primary purpose of many media organizations?
To generate a profit and advance specific values and beliefs.
How do governments impact media organizations, according to McQuail?
They shape information to serve their purposes, but it is hard to have the public consume and understand their propaganda.
What has been a significant trend in industrial organization and work practices in recent decades?
Increased decentralization and flexibility.
What did Warren Bennis and Philip Slater predict about the future of bureaucratic organizations?
They would be replaced by smaller, more egalitarian groups and organizations.
What has been a result of the growth and merger of international firms, according to the text?
The creation of enormous corporations with globalized bureaucracies.
What have more than 1 million Americans who work for Japanese companies observed?
Competitive advantages of teams and employee devotion
What do emerging technologies give rise to, according to British sociologists?
Brand-new hybrid organizational forms
What is a current trend in organizational forms, according to sociologists?
Growing interconnection of bureaucratic organizations
What is required of scientific research collaborations today, unlike in the past?
A business or profit-making justification
What has been a long-standing component of the military-industrial complex, according to Stanley Aronowitz?
Interdependent organizations
What do organizations like universities, businesses, and the federal government engage in, according to the text?
Interdependent scientific research
Study Notes
Formal Organizations
- Formal organizations are secondary groupings created to pursue clear objectives, which are rare in traditional societies but common in modern social life.
- Examples of early formal organizations include western European guilds of the 12th century, the army, and the Roman Catholic Church, each with its own hierarchical structure.
Bureaucracy: Characteristics
- According to Weber (1913/1947), bureaucracies have the following features:
- Clearly defined levels, with responsibilities flowing upward and assignments flowing downward.
- Division of labour, where each employee has a set of responsibilities coordinated to achieve the organization's goals.
- Written regulations, with an emphasis on written rules to become more effective.
- Written communications and records are kept, with employees providing written reports outlining their operations.
Bureaucracy: Dysfunctions
- Bureaucracy can result in undesirable effects or unforeseen consequences, including:
- Poor decision-making, excessive red tape and bureaucratic delays, and a lack of sensitivity to the interests of the general population.
- Causes of dysfunctions include a lack of responsibility, strict adherence to policies and procedures, and corruption.
- Consequences of dysfunctions can erode the public's confidence in the government and have a detrimental effect on society.
Types of Bureaucratic Dysfunctions
- "Red tape" refers to the constraints of bureaucracies, which can lead to outcomes that defy all sense.
- Lack of communication between units can cause units to work in opposition to one another.
- Bureaucratic alienation occurs when employees start to feel more like things than people, leading to feelings of powerlessness and disconnection.
Resisting Alienation
- Employees resist alienation by forming primary groups, such as socializing during lunch or after work, where they relate to each other as humans rather than merely as coworkers.
The Alienated Bureaucrat
- Not all employees are able to resist alienation, and some may depart or become disgruntled, lacking initiative and performing poorly.
Mass Media Organizations
- Mass media organizations differ significantly from face-to-face engagement and mass communication, with a formal organization serving as the sender and a large, diverse, mass audience as the receiver.
- Sociologists define most media organizations as utilitarian, operating for profit and advancing specific values and beliefs.
Formal Organizations: Present and Future
- Many authors and academics believe that the era of massive bureaucratic organizations is practically ended, and will be replaced by smaller, more egalitarian groups and organizations.
- Decentralization and flexibility have become necessary for companies to respond to fast-changing global marketplaces.
- The success of Japanese and other Pacific Rim firms has led to changes in industrial organization and work practices.
- Emerging technologies are giving rise to new "hybrid organizational forms" that are more responsive to shifting markets.
This quiz explores the advantages of team-based organizations, consensus, and collective decision making, as observed in Japanese companies and emerging technologies.
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