SYLLABUS
Seminar In Formal Organizations – Sociology 6341
Russell L. Curtis, Jr. Ph.D.
Spring, 2002
Section 11307
Phone: 713-743-3951
Wednesdays: 5:30-8:00
E-Mail: rcurtis@uh.edu
Texts:
Hall, Richard H. 2002. Organizations: Structures, Processes, and Outcomes.
Upper Saddle River, N. J.: Prentice-Hall. Paperback. 8th Edition.
Ott, J. Steven. 1996. Classic Readings in Organizational Behavior. Belmont,
California: Wadsworth. Paperback. 2nd Edition.
Scott, W. Richard. 1998. Organizations: Rational, Natural and Open Systems.
Upper Saddle River, N. J.: Prentice-Hall. Paperback. 4th Edition.
I.
Conceptualizations
Lectures and Discussions: The critical distinction between “positions” and
“persons”; formal goals and arrangements; hierarchies and other arrangements;
The evolution of organizations and the theoretical contributions of Weber,
Simmel, Marx, and Durkheim.
Hall: Chapter 1, “The Outcomes of Organizations.”
Scott: Chapter 1: “The Subject is Organizations”
Ott: Introduction, 1-9 and the excellent (!) “Chronology of Organizational
Behavior,” pp. 10-24 that covers major contributions by authors and types of
research is essential and necessary information.
II.
Research Methods and Problems
A.
Organizational Records:
Lectures and Discussions: The problematic nature of records; the attempts to
“rationalize” and/or universally standardize records; the discretionary use of
records to control other (probation and parole departments – lecturer’s research)
Theodore L. Reed. “Organizational Change in the American Foreign Service,
1925-1965: The Utility of Cohort Analysis.” Am. Soc. Review. (June): 401-421.
B.
Participatory and Qualitative Methods
Delany, W. 1960. “Some Field Notes on the Problem of Access in
Organizational Research,” Administrative Science Quarterly. 5:448-457.
C.
Surveys and Combined Case Methods in Organizations
James Coleman, “Relational Analysis: The Study of Social Organizations with
Survey Methods.” 1959 (classic). Human Organization. 17: 28-26.
Russell L. Curtis, Jr., William Reese and Michael Cone. 1990. “Cynicism Among
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Juvenile Probation Officers: A Study of Subverted Ideals.” Journal of Criminal
Justice. 18(6): 501-517.
Russell L. Curtis, Jr. et. al. 1992. “Passages through Law School:…” paper
given at the Meetings of the Southern Sociological Association. Draft available.
III.
Interpretative Approaches to Organizational Analyses
A.
Conceptions and Types of Organizations:
Lectures and Discussions: Introduction and overview of the perspectives of
structuralists, interactionists, and others below. Brief review of typologies which
are also addressed under varieties of leadership and/or authority arrangements
below.
Hall: Chapter 2, “On the Nature and Types of Organizations.” Chapter 12,
“Organizational Theory.”
Russell L. Curtis, Jr. and Louis Zurcher, Jr. 1974. “Social Movements: An A
Analytical Exploration of Organizational Forms.” Social Problems. 21(3):356-70.
Richard Hall, Eugene Haas, and Norman Johnson. 1967. “An Examination of
the Blau-Scott and Etzioni Typologies.” Administrative Science Qtly. 12:461-73.
B.
Weber and Other Structuralists
Lectures and Discussions: Weber, Marx and the changes from 1850 to the
early 1900’s; new authorities; a new “consciousness.”
Scott: Chapter 2, “Organizations as Rational Systems.”
Hall: Chapter 3, “Organizational Structure: Forms and Outcomes.” Chapter 4,
“Organizational Structure: Explanations.”
Richard Hall. 1963. “The Concept of Bureaucracy: An Empirical Assessment.”
American Journal of Sociology. 69:32-40.
J. Gusfield. 1957. “The Problem of Generations in an Organizational Structure.”
Social Forces. 35.
Martin Whyte. 1973. “Bureaucracy and Modernization in China: The Maoist
Critique.” April, 1973. (Can “charisma” be routinized: a structural question)
Joyce Rothschild-Whitt. 1979. “The Collectivist Organization: An Alternative to
Rational Bureaucratic Models.” Am. Soc. Review. August: 509-527. .good!
C.
Scientific Management
Lectures:
Frederick Taylor and the “Cult of Efficiency.” How this perspective invaded
organizations and many other institutions including, especially, schools and
universities in our educational arrangements.
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D.
Human Relations Approach
Lectures and Discussions: Apologies (persistent) to/with/in response/countered
by rational models of productivity. Early research errors, e.g. the Hawthorne
effects. Current member participative studies: Hodson, Argyrus, etc.
Scott: Chapter 3, “Organizations as Natural Systems.”
Ott: All of Ch. 1 under Motivation these classics: Roethisberger, “The Hawthorne
Experiments,” 35-44. Festinger, …”Cognitive Dissonance,” 63-68. Vroom, Work
and Motivation,” 69-75. Herzberg, “…How Do You Motivate Employees?,” 76-85.
Locke, “…Goal Setting…,” 86-93. Mowday, “Equity Theory …,” 94-102.
Randy Hodson. 1996. “Dignity in the Workplace under Participative
Management: Alienation and Freedom Revisited.” American Sociological
Review. 61(October):719-738.
Carey, Alex. 1967. “The Hawthorne Studies: A Radical Critique.” American
Sociological Review. 32. Important piece: reanalyzed the original data and
conclude that, indeed, money was as important as sentiment in the original test.
E..
Systems Perspectives and Niche Models
Scott: Chapter 4, “Organizations Open Systems.”
J. Miller McPherson and Thomas Rotolo. 1996. “Testing a Dynamic Model of
Social Composition: Diversity and Change in Voluntary Groups.” American
Sociological Review. 61(April):179-202.
F.
Syntheses of the Models
Scott: Chapter 5, “Combining the Perspectives.”
IV.
Organizations and Their Environments
A.
Historical and Technological Shifts: From Weber to the Computer and
Post-Computer Eras
Lectures and Discussions: How baseline sociological theories are derived from
early observations 150 years ago. Computers and “process” models and their
implications for monitoring and authority.
Scott: Chapter 6, “Conceptions of Environments.” Chapter 7, “Creating
Organizations.”
Nella Van Dyke. 1998. “Hotbeds of Activism: Locations of Student Protest.”
Social Problems. 45(May):205-220.
Roger Finke, Avery M. Guest and Rodney Stark. 1996. “Mobilizing Local
Religious Markets: Religious Pluralism in the Empire State, 1855-1865.”
61(April):203-218.
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B.
Organizational Boundaries as an Environmental Strategy
Scott: Chapter 8, “Boundary Setting and Boundary Spanning.”
C.
Organizational Complexity as Shaped by the Environment
Scott: Chapter 9, “Sources of Structural Complexity: The Technical Core.”
Chapter 10, “Sources of Structural Complexity: The Peripheral Components.”
James N. Baron, Michael T. Hannan and M Duane Burton. 1999. “Building the
Iron Cage: Determinants of Managerial Intensity in Organizations.” American
Sociological Review. 64(4):527-547.
Russell L. Curtis, Jr. 1989. “Cutbacks, Management, and Human Relations:
Meanings for Org. Theory and Research.” Human Relations: 42:671-89.
D.
The Multiorganizational Field
Hall: “Organizational Environments and Interorganizational Relationships.”
Debra Minkoff 1997. “The Sequencing of Social Movements.” American
Sociological Review. 62(5):1997.
Russell L. Curtis, Jr. and Louis Zurcher, Jr. 1974. “Stable Resources of
Organizations: The Multiorganizational Field.” Social Forces. 21:53-61.
J. Kenneth Benson, 1975. “The Interorganizational Network as a Political
Economy.” Administrative Science Quarterly. 20: 229-249.
Jon Miller. 1980. “Access to Interorganizational Networks as Professional
Resource.” American Sociological Review. 45: 479-496.
V.
The Structure of Organizations
A.
Power and Authority: Structures of Influence
Lectures: The structures and contexts of fixed influence. How authority and
power systems have changed historically, technologically, and ecologically.
Comparisons of authority structures by the underemphasized factor of the
characteristics of the members: contrasts between Principals of Grade Schools
and High Schools and between Principals and University/College Presidents.
Many observations will be derived from the article by French and Raven, below.
Hall: Chapter 5, “Power and Outcomes.”
Ott: All of Chapter VI which includes the following excellent, classic articles:
Introduction to Chapter, pp. 379-386. Cartwright, “Power: A; Neglected Variable
in Social Psychology,” 3887-394. French and Raven, “The Bases of Social
Power,” 395-404. Mechanic, “Sources of Power of Lower Participants in
Complex Organizations,” 405-412 (an important, general statement). Salancik
and Pfeffer, “Who Gets Power…,” 413-424. Kotter, “:Power, Dependence, and
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Effective Management,” 425-434.
Donald Warren. 1968. “Power, Visibility, and Conformity in Formal
Organizations.” American Sociological Review. 33:951-70. (Good test of the
French & Raven types of power: coercive, reward, expert, legitimate & referent.)
B.
Leadership: Personal Activities of Influence
Hall: Chapter 6, “Leadership.”
Ott: All of Chapter III which includes the following excellent, classic articles:
Introduction to Chapter, pp. 163-174. Follett, “The Giving of Orders,” 175-180.
Barnard, “The Executive Function,” 181-188. Hersey and Blanchard, “Life Cycle
Theory of Leadership Effectiveness,” 189-197. Fiedler, “…Theory of Leadership
Effectiveness,” 198-109. Tichy and Ulrich, “…the Transformation Leader,” 210219. Bennis, “Why Leaders Can’t Lead,” 220-227. Schein, “The Learning
Leader as Culture Manager,” 228-237. Wheatley, “…Simpler Way to Lead
Organizations,” 238-243.
Cohen, Michael D., James G. March and John P. Olsen,” 1972. “A Garbage Can
Model of Organizational Choice.” Administrative Science Quarterly. 17:1-25.
Classic and controversial exposition on flexible types of communication and
authority systems in decentralized, loosely supervised organizations that typically
contain a large number of professionals as employees.
C.
Goals
Scott: Chapter 11, “Goals, Power and Control.”
Bidwell, Charles and John J. Kasarda. 1975. “School District Organization and
Student Achievement.” American Sociological Review. April: 434-440.
Herbert A. Simon. 1964. “On the Concept of Organizational Goal.”
Administrative Science Quarterly. 9: 149-154.
D.
Communications and Organizational Intelligence
Hall: Chapter 8, “Communication” (read Ch. 8 before Ch. 7 next): Chapter 7,
“Decision Making.”
James M. Jasper and Jane D. Poulsen. 1995. “Recruiting Strangers and
Friends: Moral Shocks and Social Networks in Animal rights and Anti-Nuclear
Protests.” Social Problems. 42(Nov.): 493-512.
E.
The Informal Organization: Bureaucracy’s Other Face
Lectures: The early Hawthorne Studies (the “Human Relations Approach,”
above). Where the findings have been in error: money counts, in subsequent
analyses. How the approach has been a cynical manipulation in organizations.
Ott: All of Chapter II which includes the following excellent, classic articles:
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Introduction to Chapter, pp. 103-110. Roy, “’Banana Time’ …,” 111-120 (one of
my favorite articles of all time!!). Blake, Shepard & Mouton,” “Foundations and
Dynamics of Intergroup Behavior,” 121-129. Cartwright and Zander, “Origins of
Group Dynamics,” 130-139. Alderfer, “An Intergroup Perspective on Group
Dynamics,” 140-151. Cox, “Cultural Diversity in Organizations: Intergroup
Conflict,” 152-162.
F.
Groups and Work Units within Organizations
Lectures: Uses of the commission; roles of the formal department and other
forms of “sub-systems.”
Ott: All of Chapter Iv which includes the following excellent, classic articles:
Introduction to Chapter, pp. 244-250. Hackman and Oldham, “The Design of
Work for Groups and Groups for Work,” 251-263. Mitroff, “…Building the
Organization of the Future ..,” 264-271. Osburn, et. al. , “Self-Directed Work
Teams….,” 272-281. Weisbord, “…Work Relationships in a Fast-Changing
World,” 282-2990. Bowen and Lawler, “The Empowerment of Service
Workers…, “291-302.
F.
Organizational Size
Peter Blau. 1970. “A Formal Theory of Differentiation in Organizations.”
American Sociological Review. 35: 201-218.
Pfeffer, J. 1973. “Size, Composition and Function of Hospital Boards of
Directors…” Administrative Science Quarterly. 18: 349-364.
Marshall W. Meyer. 1972. “Size and the Structure of Organizations: A Causal
Analysis.” American Sociological Review. April: 215-228.
G.
Change within Organizations
Lectures: Changing size, especially studies and descriptions of cutbacks and
retrenchments that continually occur (especially during the 1980’s)
Hall: Chapter 9, “Change.”
Bob Edwards and Sam Marullo. 1995. “Organizational Mortality in a Declining
Social Movement: the Demise of Peace Movement Organizations in the End of
the Cold War Era.” American Sociological Review. 60(Dec):908-927.
Russell L. Curtis, Jr. and Louis Zurcher, Jr. 1973. “A Comparative Analysis of
Propositions Describing Social Movement Organizations.” The Sociological
Quarterly. 14: 175-188.
Joseph Gusfield. 1955. “The Women’s Christian Temperance Union.” Social
Forces. 35: 323-330.
H.
Organizational Decision-Making (highly overlapping with communication,
authority and other organizational properties)
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William A. Reese, II, Russell L. Curtis, Jr., and Albert Richard, Jr. 1989.
“Juvenile Justice as People-Modulation: A Case Study of Progressive Delinquent
Dispositions.” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency.
26(November):332-360.
I.
Organizational Conflicts
James R. Zetka, Jr. (1996) “Bureaucratic Strikes and the Rationalization of
Factory Conflict: The Case of the U.S. Automobile Industry, 1962-1979.” Social
Problems. 43(Feb.):39-56.
VI.
The Individual in the Organization
A.
The Socialization and Commitments of Members
Ott: Introduction to Chapter V, “Effects of the Work Environment on the
Individual,” 303-319. Merton, “Bureaucratic Structure and Personality,” 337-343.
Janis, “Groupthink: The Desperate Drive for Consensus at Any Cost,” 344-351.
Porter, Lawler, and Hackman, “Social Influences on Work Effectiveness,” 352364. Bell and Staw, “People as Sculptors versus Sculpture..,” 375-378.
Russell L. Curtis, Jr. 1974. “The Issue of Schools as Social Systems:
Socialization Effects as Inferred from Lengths of Memberships.” The
Sociological Quarterly. 15(Spring): 277-293.
Thomas P. Rohlen. 1978. “The Education of a Japanese Banker.” Human
Nature. January: 22-30.
Doug McAdam. 1989. “The Biological Consequences of Activism.” American
Sociological Review. 54: 744-760.
B.
Member Satisfactions and the Correlates of Satisfactions
Ott: Maslow, “A; Theory of Human Motivation,” 45-56. McGregor, “The Human
Side of Enterprise,” 57-62. Trist and Bamforth, “”Some Social and Psychological
Consequences of the Longwall Method of Coal-Getting,” 320-328 (classic piece
on how work technologies changes work relationships – don’t worry about
understanding what the “Longwall” method is!). Whyte, “The Organization Man:
Conclusion,” 329-336.
Russell L. Curtis, Jr., William A. Reese, II, and Michael P. Cone. 1990.
“Cynicism among Juvenile Probation Officers: A Study of Subverted Ideals.’
Journal of Criminal Justice. 18(6): 501-517.
Chris Argyrus. 1973. “Personality and Organization Theory Revisited.”
Administrative Science Quarterly. 18:141-168.
VII.
Organizational Outcomes
A.
Organizational Pathologies
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Scott: Chapter 12, “Organizational Pathologies.”
B.
Organizational Effectiveness
Hall: Chapter 11, “Organizational Effectiveness.”
Scott: Chapter 13, “Organizational Effectiveness.”
Rachel L. Einwohner. 1999. “…Protest Effectiveness: Illustrations from Four
Animal Rights Campaigns.” Social Problems. 46(2):169-86.
C.
Organizational Impacts on Society
Kenneth T. Andrews.” 1997. “The Impacts of Social Movements on the Political
Process: The Civil Rights Movement and Black Electoral Politics.” American
Sociological Review. 62(5):800-819.
William A. Reese, II., Russell L. Curtis, Jr., and Albert Richard, Jr. 1989.
“Juvenile Justice as People-Modulating: A Case Study of Progressive Delinquent
Dispositions.” Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency. 26:332-360.
VIII.
New Organizations: The Future of Organizations in Post-Modern Cultures
A.
New Organizational Arrangements: Working at Home and the PC
B.
New Social Service Organizations: “People Modulating Organizations”
Lectures: Work of the instructor on juvenile probation departments and
introducing this concept in the literature.
C.
New Monitoring , Supervision And Authority Arrangements
Pamela Ann Roby. 1998. “Creating a Just World: Leadership for the TwentyFirst Century.” Social Problems. 45(Feb.):1-20 (Note: this has an incredible
bibliography supporting the author’s highly idealistic and idealized narrative.)
D.
New Communication Systems in International Business Organizations: the
Direction of Third-World Work Forces by First World Nations