1 Max Weber Rationality and Organization

Background  Maximilian Karl Emil "Max" Weber  Born in Erfurt, Germany (1864)  Well-to-do family  Eldest of eight children  Sickly child Physical problems Mental problems

Background 3  His mother (Helene Fallenstein):  Calvinist  Concerned with social issues  Very religious  His father (Max Weber):  Politician  Lawyer  Self-centered and authoritarian

Mr. and Mrs. Max Weber 4

Background  Parents had marriage problems  Different beliefs and values  Max Weber and his brother Alfred became sociologists and economists. 5

Max Weber 6 Weber Pronounced: “vay-bear” Max, Alfred, and Karl -> (1879)

Max Weber’s Sociology 7  Concerned with individuals, as well as social structure  Macro  Micro

Max Weber: Sociology 8 Comprehensive science of Social Action Behavior versus Action Behavior versus Action  Behavior= move, react, eat etc.  Action=Behavior + Meaning

Different from Other Theorists Spencer: Evolution of society as analogous to an organism Natural laws of society Durkheim: Society as an organism cohesion Maintaining cohesion of social structures Social Solidarity 9

Different from Other Theorists 10 Marx: Society influenced by economy social classes Conflict between social classes Malinowski: Society functions to meet needs of individuals Holistic approach Holistic approach

Max Weber: Social Action 11 Weber’s primary focus: Subjective meanings that humans attach to their actions and interactions Within specific social contexts Behavior without meaning, is not in the purview of sociology

Max Weber: Social Action 12 Four Major Types of Social Action 1. Traditional Action Guided by custom or habit  Action is simply "always done" Example: Celebrating holidays

Max Weber: Social Action Emotional or Affective Action Motivated by emotional state Love, Anger, Happiness, Revenge Examples:  Going to college because your boyfriend or girlfriend is attending that school  Hitting a person out of anger

Max Weber: Social Action Value-oriented Rational Action Working toward a goal, which may not be rational But is pursued through rational means Values: Ethical, Religious, Philosophical  Not rationally "chosen“ Example: Going to college because you value learning and knowledge

Max Weber: Social Action 4. Instrumental Rational (Goal-oriented Rational Action) Goals & means are rationally chosen Example:  Earning a college degree in order to get a good paying job How to get rich 15

Max Weber: Social Action 16 Primarily concerned with modern Western society Behavior increasingly dominated by goal-oriented rationality In the past: Motivated by tradition, affect, or value-oriented rationality

Rationalization Rational calculation, Efficiency, and Control (Bureaucracy) Replace: Affective ties Spirituality Tradition 17

Max Weber: Ideal Types 18 An ideal type not meant to refer to “best” or to a moral ideal e.g., Ideal type brothel or Ideal type chapel Analytical construct that provides a basic method for comparative study

Max Weber: Ideal Types Identifies “logically consistent” features of social institution Compare “ideal type” to reality Used to develop research hypotheses 19

Example of Ideal Type 20 Four characteristics of Ideal type Capitalism 1. Private ownership  Means of production 2. Pursuit of Profit 3. Competition 4. No government intervention

TR Legitimation & Authority 21  Legitimation-> Turns coercion into acceptable Authority  Authority = Legitimate Power  Three modes of authority  1. Legal-rational  2. Traditional  3. Charismatic

Max Weber: Authority 1. Legal-rational authority  Based on impersonal rules  Rules are legally enacted or contractually established Examples: Presidents, judges 22

Max Weber: Authority Traditional authority  Based on belief in tradition  Passed down generation to generation Examples: Aristocracy, Parents, Elders

Max Weber: Authority Charismatic authority  Allegiance to leader  Leader’s characteristics  Quality of individual's personality  Source of change Examples: Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi

Max Weber: Bureaucracy 25 Formal organization of large-scale enterprises for example: Government Military Economy Religion Education

Max Weber: Bureaucracy Ideal-type Bureaucracy:  Clearly defined division of labor  Rationality  Attention to implementing goals of organization  Impersonal application of rules  Routinization of tasks 26

Max Weber: Bureaucracy 27 Major advantage Calculability of results Dysfunctions of bureaucracy Depersonalization Difficult to deal with individual cases Personnel are replaceable Information flows from top-down George Tooker paintings illustrate rationality and modernity

28 Method for Studying Social Stratification: Sources of Power Social Class  “…property…and lack of property…”  Life chances  Socio-economic category  Lower class  Middle class  Upper class MW Max Weber: Class, Status, and Party

Sources of Power: Class, Status, & Party 29 Status  Prestige  Honor  Evaluations people make of one another  Ranking desired behavior & traits

Max Weber: Party Association that attempts to influence social action  Religious  Political  Age-based  Race/Ethnicity  Lobbyists Working toward a goal in a planned manner (i.e., rationally) 31

Weber’s Contribution to Sociology ◦ Stratification theory (class, status, party) ◦ Bureaucracy & large scale organizations ◦ Power & Authority ◦ Sociology of law ◦ Sociology of religion 32

Weber’s Contribution to Sociology Theory and Methodology  “Verstehen” helps in understanding why certain behaviors occur  Social Action: Subjective meanings  Values: Role in relationships 33

Weber’s Contribution to Sociology  Multi-causality of Social Phenomena  Complete Objectivity is Impossible ◦ Values & Value relevance 34

Weber’s Contribution to Sociology  The Protestant Ethic & The Spirit of Capitalism ◦ Cultural barriers can prevent an economy from growing to its full potential  Ex: religion 35

Weber’s Contribution to Sociology Max Weber had more powerful positive impact on a wide range of sociological theories than any other sociological theorist  Created the German Association for Sociology (1909)  Starting Point for Careers:  Karl Mannheim, Talcott Parsons, Robert Merton and C. Wright Mills 36