Wednesday, February 20, 2013

chapter 4 Social structure



The compositions of the social structures are made of different rations between groups, roles, status, interaction, economy, and organization. These individual components coexist to allow society to work smoothly even though there can be a clash between roles, status, and organization. In different companies the matter of work can have difficulties based on their inner rules that can differ from the outside world; they have to teach it to every new comer. There is a theory called the six degrees of separation that refer to how many people are between one individual and any other individual. The power and weakness of society is its complexity.
                Status is a defined position that can be, ascribed, given or achieved. The master status is a way to be identified based on work or marital status. The roles are attached to each status have a role expectation and the role performance that is the real work done. Different status with different roles sets can create conflict because both role sets can’t be managed at the same time, like to be a good friend and still be a good mentor of a parent. Different status and roles working together for the benefit of multiple individuals is called a social institution. They have different magnified relations with the interactions with individuals like competition, conflicts, cooperation , accommodations in which nether side wins, and exchange of favors, work or goods this is made possible by reciprocity that states that if some dose something for one that one now owes the other individual a favor. The theory of exchange is that individuals are motivated to obtain something from the individuals they interact with.
                The types of societies are made by their economical system. Preindustrial can consist on hunting and gathering food, pastoral and horticultural societies concentrate on the goal of having animals or growing plants without the help of animals in any of the two cases the first sign of work division starts, and agricultural societies that consist on using of animals to grow food products and barter to exchange the food products. Industrial societies consist of manufactured goods and urbanization of areas that consist on a cluster of people in a city. Post industrial the economy is based on information. Durkheim said that when people work together as a whole to finish a task is mechanical solidarity in preindustrial societies. Organic solidarity is instead the impersonal relation created by the increase of job specialization. Gemeinshaft is a German word for mechanic solidarity and gesellschft is for organic solidarity. Groups compose societies in a way they have to be classified by size, time needed to gather, and organization, how close do they get with the individuals as in a primal or secondary group. The type that can be reference, in and out gropes, e-communities, social networks. The function of the group require a leader, instrumentally and expressive, so logical and expressive.
                Formal organization is now represented by bureaucracy, according to Weber’s model there has to be a division of labor, ranking authorities, employment based on formal qualifications, rules and regulations, and specific lines of promotion and advancement. A non-profit profit organization falls to the category of a voluntary work. Weber’s model falls apart by the iron law of oligarchy in which people promote others for their own interests. In Japan to show how the working groups function the older workers show the new comers how to act and dress according to the company standards. In a bank they even have a code that says that if they are not formal they are disrespecting the customer. By using this method many workers can follow a certain standard.
                The way society works depends on the individuals. As they use their status for the benefit others and not succumbing to the iron law of oligarchy gropes will work smoothly in their designated economy. Even with the different types of groups they can all work together and exchange knowledge for the benefit of both sides. With more organic solidarity in a work space the team is doomed to fall but when everyone work together for the common goal a society can fully improve and transcend. 

No comments:

Post a Comment