SHAEFFER, CHAPTER 6: GROUPS AND ORGANIZATION
 
((NOTE: These are *rough* outline of my lecture notes and will be online on 
the class homepage periodically. If you are not subscribed to the class 
discussion list, DO SO ASAP or you will miss this type of material. 
 
A GROUP IS ANY  NUMBER OF PEOPLE  WITH SIMILAR  VALUES EXPECTATIONS WHO 
REGULARLY AND CONSCIOUSLY INTERACT.
 
  1.  PRIMARY GROUPS: SMALL GROUPS CHARACTERIZED BY INTIMATE,
      FACE-TO-FACE  ASSOCIATION AND  COOPERATION (EXAMPLES:
      FAMILIES, STUDY GROUPS, FRIENDSHIP GROUPS. Cooley 
      coined the term primary group.  Primary groups play a pivotal role 
      both of the socialization process, and in the development of roles     
      and statuses. In fact, primary groups are critical in our day-to-day 
      existence, because it's usually primary groups tht we idenify with.

  2.  SECONDARY GROUPS:   FORMAL, IMPERSONAL GROUPS IN WHICH
      THERE IS LITTLE INTIMACY OR MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING.  CLASS,
      (NIU). distinction between primary and secondary groups is not 
      always clear-cut, and some social clubs may become so large and so 
      impersonal that they no longer function is a primary group.

  3.  REFERENCE GROUPS--  THOSE GROUPS THAT ARE STANDARDS FOR
      EVALUATING OURSELVES OR OUR  OWN BEHAVIOR.  (IE, BUSINESS
      MAJORS MAY HAVE  IBM EXECUTIVERS AS A  REFERENCE GROUP:
      PROFESSORS HAVE THEIR PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS. 	

Another example, by high school student who aspires to join a social Circle 
of hip-hop music devotes these will pattern his or her behavior to include 
dressing like these peers listening to the same tapes and CDs and hanging 
onto the same stores or clubs.  Reference groups have two basic purposes.   
FIRST, they survey normative function by setting and enforcing standards 
of conduct and believe.  For example the high school students who wants to 
have the approval of the hip-hop crowd will have to follow the groups 
dictates to at least some extent.  SECOND reference groups also perform a 
comparison function by serving as a standard against which people can 
measure themselves and others.
  
  4.  IN-GROUPS--  ANY CATEGORY  OF PEOPLE  WHO FEEL THAT THEY
      BELONG."  EG, STUDENTS, CLIQUES. simply put and in group comprises 
      "we" oR "US."       
 
  5.  OUT-GROUPS--   THOSE  "OUTSIDE   THE   PALE"-PUNKS/ROCKERS.
      Out-groups are simply groups are categories to which we feel 
      that we cannot belong.

  6.  COALITIONS--- THESE ARE A GROUP OF GROUPS GEARTED TOQARD A
      COMMON GOAL: EITHER SEMI-PERMANTLY OR TEMPORARILY WORKING
      TOWARD A COMMON END.   (EG, GANGS, LABOR GROUPS, Jesse
      Jackon's "RAINBOW COALITION"C)
 
NOTE: THERE IS NO CLEAR DEFINITION AT  WHICH POINT THE  NUMBER OF
      PEOPLE BECOMES TOOLARGE OR TOO SMALL TO BE
     "PRIMARY GROUP" ETC---DEFINED MORE BY FUNCTION!
 
HOW DO GROUPS DIFFER FROM FORMAL ORGANIZATIONS?
 
 A FORMAL ORGANIZATION IS A LARGE-SCALE,SPECIAL-PURPOSE GROUP
 PURPOSELY DESIGNED AND STRUCTURED INTHE INTERESTS EFFICIENCY.
 TYPICAL EXAMPLES INCLUDE:
 
  A) GOVERNMENTS
  B) LARGE BUSINESSES
  C) SCHOOLS
  D) HOSPITALS
 
 THESE ARE ALL BUREAUCRACIES. Bureaucracy is a kind of formal organization 
that uses rules and hierarchical ranking to achieve efficiency.  The 
concept was developed by Max Weber, who developed something called an 
IDEAL TYPE.  Remember, and ideal type is simply a model that serves as a 
measuring rod against which other cases can be evaluated.
some characteristics of a bureaucracy: 

    A) COMMUNICATION FLOW FROM TOP DOWN
    B) CENTRALIZED POWER/LEADERSHIP
    C) SPECIALIZED TASKS/DIVISION OF LABOR
    D) FORMAL RECRUITMENT
    E) MERIT
    F) RULES FOR OPERATING
    G) EXPLICIT REWARD SYSTEM
    H) HIERARCHY OF AUTHORITY
    I) IMPERSONALITY
 
AN OLIGARCHY, BY CONTRAST, IS AN ORGANIZATION (OR SOCIETY
RULED BY A FEW.  the German sociologist Robert Michels 4 Ridge native the 
idea of THE IRON LAW OF oligarchy.  This refers to Howard Democratic 
organization will develop into a bureaucracy ruled by the few that is by 
the oligarchy.  Oligarchies emerge because people who achieve leadership 
roles usually have the skills and knowledge and the charismatic appeal to 
direct if not control others.
 
WE ALSO HAVE VOLUNTARY ASSOCIATIONS---THIS REFERS TO ORGANIZATINS
ESTABLISHED ON THE BASIS OF COMMON INTEREST, WHOSE MEMBER
VOLUNTEER OR EVEN PAY TO PARTICIPATE (eg, Labor Unions,
fraternities)
 
THE PURPOSE OF STUDYING GROUPS: IT CAN TELL US MANY THINGS ABOUT
SOCIETY AND ABOUT PEOPLE:
 
  1.  PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT (VOLUNTARY  ASSOCIATIONS) HOW PEOPLE
VOTE, WHAT THEIR ATTITUDES ARE
 
  2.  LOOKING AT ONE'S PRIMARY GROUPS  MAY HELP US UNDERSTAND
CRIME/DEVIANCE (NEXT CHAPTER)
 
  3.  LOOKING AT  BUREAUCRACIES MAY  PROVIDE A  KEY WINDOW INTO
      DECISIONS ARE MADE,  HOW MUCH INPUT PEOPLE PUT INTO
      GOVERNMENT OR INDUSTRY, OR  HOW SOCIETY  IS ORGANIZED.
 
REMEMBER:GROUPS ARE NOT SIMPLY TERMS, THEY ARE CONCEPTS USEFUL
FOR ANALYSIS.  WEBER, FOR EXAMPLE, USED BUREAUCRACIES TO EXAMINE
SOCIETY AS A WHOLE, AND HE FOUND THAT
SOCIETY CAN BE  MEASURED  BY  HOW "RATIONAL"  (IE,
BUREAUCRATIC) IT HAS BECOME.
 
NOTE: THE FOLLOWING WILL APPEAR MUCH LATER IN THE TERM IN THE SECTION ON 
POLITICS. We are going to introduce these terms now because we will be 
talking about them throughout the semester.

EG: For WEBER: Societies can 
be defined by how they are organized:
 
  A. CHARISMATIC
  B. TRADITIONAL
  C. RATIONAL/LEGAL
 
      1. Formal Rationality
      2. Substantive Rationality
 
NOTE: THESE ARE IDEAL TYPES: An Ideal type is a construct or
model that serves as a measuring rod against which specific cases
can be evaluated.
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