Soc Lesson 8

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.