SOCIAL INTERACTION & GROUPS, ORGANIZATIONS, BEAURACRACIES

 Consists of two or more individuals purposefully relating to each other

 directed toward a goal that people hope to achieve (even if the goal is as nebulous as “having a good time”)  takes place in a social context that includes cultural norms and rules governing the situation and setting

 Non-verbal communication refers to interactions using facial expressions, the head, eye contact, body posture, gestures, touch, walk, status symbols and personal space

 Social status refers to positions you hold in the social world  An individuals social status defines how she interacts with others and how other react to her in a specific situation…….

 Ascribed status  Achieved status  Master status

 Every status position in your social network carries with it certain behaviors and obligations.. …..  the expected behaviors, rights and obligations of the status is what is called a “role”……….

 Characterized by intimate face-to-face association and cooperation  Charles Horton Cooley

 “They are primary in several senses, but chiefly in that they are fundamental in forming the social nature and ideals of the individual”

 the result of intimate association is a certain fusion- of individualities in a common whole, so that one’s very self is the common life and purpose of the group  >WE

 family, playgroup of children, neighborhood or community group of elders  >the “nursery of human nature”

 As humans, we have an intense need for face-to-face interaction that generates feelings of self- esteem.  primary groups offer a sense of belonging and are uniquely equipped to meet this basic need.

 Larger, more anonymous, more formal and more impersonal than PRIMARY GROUPS

 Secondary groups are based on some interest or activity, and their members are likely to interact on the basis of specific statuses, such as president, manager, worker or student  >examples: college class, factory, political party, a professional association (ASA)

 Contemporary society could not function without secondary groups as they are part of how we get our education, make a living and spend our money/leisure time

 Often secondary groups fail to satisfy our needs for intimate association, as a result, secondary groups tend to break down into primary groups

 group made up of volunteers who organize on the basis of some mutual interest

 an aspect of voluntary associations is that the leaders often grow distant from members and become convinced that only the inner circle can be trusted to make the groups important decisions.

 Robert Michels coined the term “the iron law of oligarchy” in 1911 to refer to how organizations come to be dominated by a self- perpetuating elite

 the majority of members of an institution are passive……an inner circle keeps itself in power by passing the leadership positions from one member of this inner group to another  >people can be excluded from leadership because they don’t represent the inner circle’s values-or background

 Elements of bureaucratic authority:  1. Fixed and official jurisdictional areas ordered by rules  2. Hierarchical Authority derived from legitimacy or force  3. Labor is organized and regulated

 -Bureaucracy is a modern phenomenon  -Bureaucracy is a product of capitalism

The five characteristics of bureaucracy are:  1. regulated by rules and official duties  2. a hierarchy with a system of super- and subordination  3. management of office and personnel based on written documents and general rules  4. specialized office management based on expert training  5. official activity demanding full working capacity of the official

 -fast food restaurants account for 40% of 6 million people employed at restaurants  -fast food restaurant likely to be first employer  >1 in 15 workers started at McDonalds  >1 in 8 Americans has worked at McDonalds at some time in life

 McDonaldization  >simple tasks performed efficiently  >time performing tasks in calculated predictable work  >non-human technologies employed to control and reduce workers  >dehumanization leading to high turnover

 McDonalds jobs prepare workers for workplace  How are customers taught to behave through McDonaldization?  >bringing the customer into the labor process  >internalization of norms and values  >normalization