1. Networks & Organizations
Sociology 1301: Introduction to Sociology
Week Seven

2. Social Groups
Social Group: Two or more people who identify with and interact with one another
Primary Group: A small social group whose members share personal and lasting relationships
Secondary Group: A large and impersonal social group whose members pursue a specific goal or activity

3. Primary vs. Secondary Groups
Primary Group
Secondary Group
Quality of Relationships
Personal Orientation
Goal Orientation
Duration of Relationship
Usually long-term
Variable; often short-term
Breadth of Relationship
Broad; usually involving many activities
Narrow; usually involving few activities
Perception of Relationships
Ends in themselves
Means to an end
Examples
Families, circles of friends
Co-workers, political organizations
Primary vs. Secondary Groups

4. Comparison Groups
Reference Group: A social group that serves as a point of reference in making evaluations and decisions
In-Group: A social group toward which a member feels respect and loyalty
Generally hold overly positive views of themselves and unfairly negative views of various out-groups
Defines deviance
Out-Group: A social group toward which a person feels a sense of competition or opposition

5. George Simmel & Groups
Basic Claim: The number of people in a group helps determine the form of the social relations that will take place in that group.
Dyad: a group of 2
Triad: a group of 3 or more
Mediator
Tertius Gaudens
Divide et Impera

6. Triads

7. Larger Groups Small Groups Party Large Groups Face-to-face interaction
Unifocal
Lack of formal arrangements or roles
Equality
Party
Face-to-face interactions
Multifocal
Large Groups
Formal Structure
Mediated Interaction & Status Differentiation

8. Size Matters

9. Networks
Network: A web of weak social ties that can be a powerful resource
Social Capital: the knowledge of people or things and connections that helps individuals enter preexisting networks or gain power in them

10. Organizations
Organization: Any social network that is defined by a common purpose and that has a boundary between its membership and the rest of the social world
Formal Organization: Large secondary groups organized to achieve their goals efficiently
3 Types of Formal Organizations
Utilitarian Organizations
Normative Organizations
Coercive Organizations

11. Bureaucracy
Bureaucracy: An organizational model rationally designed to perform tasks efficiently
Weber: 6 Key Elements of the Ideal Bureaucratic Organizations
Specialization
Hierarchy of Positions
Rules and Regulations
Technical Competence
Impersonality
Formal, Written Communication

12. Problems of Bureaucracy
Bureaucratic Alienation: By reducing the human being to a small cog in a ceaselessly moving mechanism
Bureaucratic Ritualism: A focus on rules and regulations to the point of undermining an organization’s goals
Bureaucratic Inefficiency: The failure of an organization to carry out the work that it exists to perform
Bureaucratic Inertia: The tendency of bureaucratic organizations to perpetuate themselves

13. External Impacts to Organizations
Organizational Environment: Factors outside an organization that affect its operation
Technology
Economic and Political Trends
Current Events
Population Patterns
Other Organizations

14. Internal Impacts to Organizations
Organizational Culture
Organizational Structure
Two Leadership Roles
Instrumental Leadership: Group leadership that focuses on the completion of tasks
Expressive Leadership: Group leadership that focuses on the group’s well-beings
Three Leadership Styles
Authoritarian: Focuses on instrumental concerns, takes personal charge of decision making, and demands that group members obey orders
Democratic Leadership: More expressive and makes a point of including everyone in the decision-making process
Laissez-Faire Leadership: Allows the group to function more or less on its own

15. Works Cited
Conley, D. (2008). You may ask yourself: An introduction to thinking like a sociologist. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Macionis, J. J. (2010). SOC100: Sociology: custom edition (13th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Custom Publishing.
Massey, G. (Ed.) (2006). Readings for sociology (5th Ed.). New York: W. W. Norton & Company.