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Groups
2 or more people Relatively stable paterns of social interaction Feelings of unity or group membership TERM 2
Primary Groups
DEFINITION 2 informal, impersonal, intimate, rarely goal-oriented Ex: family, groups of friends People in these groups tend to be more important and wield more social control. TERM 3
Secondary Groups
DEFINITION 3 impersonal groups, often formal, specific goals or activities Ex: work groups, sociology class, Bible study group TERM 4
In-groups
DEFINITION 4 groups with which we identify and belong TERM 5
Out-groups
DEFINITION 5 groups with which we do not identify or belong and which is in some way set apart from or against our in-group
Group Boundaries
groups often maintain their identity and membership through boundary maintenance 1. competition strengthens boundaries 2. Cooperation reduces boundaries 3. Common threats reduce boundaries but may raise them against a common enemy 4. We tend to form groups or get involved with groups in which people are most like us TERM 7
Reference Groups
DEFINITION 7 groups to which we compare ourselves (we do not have to be in them) TERM 8
Relative deprivation
DEFINITION 8 we tend to appraise our own status, success, etc. as less or more than a reference group, not in abstract terms. Ex: "keeping up with the Jones" TERM 9
Dyad
DEFINITION 9 group of 2; these tend to be more intense, intimate, and influential Ex: me and my bestfriend, ect. TERM 10
Triad
DEFINITION 10 once a third party enters dynamics change, coalitions tend to form, dyadic relationships affect the whole group Ex: 3 musketeers, "O' Brother Where Art Thou?"
Instrumental leadership
focused on direction and completion of tasks TERM 17
Expressive leadership
DEFINITION 17 focused on group maintenance and moral TERM 18
Authoritarian
DEFINITION 18 leadership through direct and detailed orders TERM 19
Democratic
DEFINITION 19 leadership by including everyone in the decision-making process TERM 20
Laissez-faire
DEFINITION 20 leadership by giving a few parameters and goals but letting members fulfill those goals as they wish
Charisma
Weber has argued that dynamic change in goups often occurs because of charismatic leaders, leaders that show exceptional ability, foresight, or strength TERM 22
status
DEFINITION 22 people tend to conform to leadership because of someone's status TERM 23
Milgram
Experiment
DEFINITION 23 Two people were partners. One was an actor and the other was a real person that didn't know what was going on. They pretended to draw their roles but the actor was the learner and the real person was the teacher. The teacher was put in a separate room. The teacher would ask the learner a series of questions and if the learner got them wrong, he would get shocked with electricity. The more questions he got wrong the higher the volt. This experiment was to show how individuals will go along with something if they are persuaded to do it, even if it causes harm. TERM 24
formal organizations
DEFINITION 24 large secondary groups (or systems of groups) that are rationally organized to achieve specific goals. TERM 25
bureaucracy
DEFINITION 25 literally means governed by the office or desk
6. Technical competency
a certain set of skills should be able to be learned and enable a worker to do a variety of tasks. Hiring and promotion should always be made based on these competencies. TERM 32
7. Impersonality
DEFINITION 32 the rules and regulations treat each person and each situation equally regardless of who is involved. Promotion by seniority or merit TERM 33
8. Formal, written
communication
DEFINITION 33 all actions are recorded and comunicated through highly formal documents and kept in files for anyone who needs them to find them TERM 34
Iron Law of Oligarchy
DEFINITION 34 power in a bureaucracy tends to be concentrated in the hands of a few. main reasons: 1. hieracrhical structure pushes ultimate power towards the top 2. those who know how to use the system to their advantage tend to rise-with power and the knowledge to "work" the system they tend to remain in power TERM 35
Peter
Principle
DEFINITION 35 "Everyone rises to his or her level of incompetence."
Parkinson's Law
"work expands to fill the time available for its completion" TERM 37
Bureaucratic Inertia
DEFINITION 37 once created a bureaucratic office, position, or entity tends to remain in existence TERM 38
Trained Incapacity
DEFINITION 38 people are unable to change or deal with non-standard situations because their training demands working within the rules TERM 39
Goal Displacement
DEFINITION 39 specialization means that each worker has specific goals. These goals may not always line up wih the ultimate goals of the organization. TERM 40
Bureaucracy as an Ideal Type
DEFINITION 40 all bureaucracies have an informal structure as well as the formal one. this introduces favoritism, but is also overcomes many of the problems of the bureaucracy.
