Chapter 9 Formal
Organizations
Key Terms
•Formal Organizations
•Bureaucracies
•Specialization
•Hierarchy of offices
•Rules and Regulations
•Technical Competence
•Impersonality
•Formal Communication
•Red Tape
•Collective
Wednesday December 2, 2009
Everything you now do is something
you have chosen to do. Some people
don't want to believe that. But if you're
over age twenty-one, your life is what
you're making of it. To change your life,
you need to change your priorities.
Please Reflect…
For most of human history small primary groups such as the
family, have fulfilled most human needs. Secondary social
groups or formal organizations.
Formal Organizations: a large group of people organized
in a certain way so that they can achieve a specific goal
efficiently. Schools, churches or governments are all examples
of formal organizations.
There are 3 types of formal organizations as
identified by Amitai Etzioni. Utilitarian
Organization, Normative organizations and
Coercive Organizations.
Utilitarian Organization: We join because we
need the service that organization offers. We join
a business in order to make money or earn a
living; we go to a hospital to get medical
treatment; and we attend a school in order to get
an education or special training
Normative Organization: People join normative organizations
in order to pursue goals they think are worthwhile. Voluntary
organizations such as the Scouts or the Red Cross are
examples of normative organizations. Political parties and
churches are also included in this kind of organization.
Coercive Organization: A prison or a mental institution is an
example of a coercive organization. Such organizations tend
to control or shape behaviour in very rigid ways. Rules are
strictly enforced, and joining or leaving the organization is
general not a matter of choice.
Have you ever tried to get information on applying for a
driver’s license or about a specific course from a university or
college?
Have you ever returned something you bought at a large
store?
Did you get what u wanted immediately or did you have to go
through several people before you found someone who could
help you?
in all of these examples you have been dealing with
bureaucracy
Bureaucracies: the most complex kind of formal
organizations. They have been specifically designed to
perform numerous tasks as efficiently as possible, yet
dealing with them can often be frustrating. This is
because bureaucracies are usually large with many
formal rules and regulations, and each person has a
specific task to do. If you approach the wrong person, he
or she must refer you to the person trained to deal with
your problem or question. With many highly complex
tasks to be accomplished in society today,
bureaucracies have become common and widespread.
Bureaucracies: the most complex kind of formal
organizations. They have been specifically designed to
perform numerous tasks as efficiently as possible, yet
dealing with them can often be frustrating. This is
because bureaucracies are usually large with many
formal rules and regulations, and each person has a
specific task to do. If you approach the wrong person, he
or she must refer you to the person trained to deal with
your problem or question. With many highly complex
tasks to be accomplished in society today,
bureaucracies have become common and widespread.
Bureaucracies: the most complex kind of formal
organizations. They have been specifically designed to
perform numerous tasks as efficiently as possible, yet
dealing with them can often be frustrating. This is
because bureaucracies are usually large with many
formal rules and regulations, and each person has a
specific task to do. If you approach the wrong person, he
or she must refer you to the person trained to deal with
your problem or question. With many highly complex
tasks to be accomplished in society today,
bureaucracies have become common and widespread.
The German Sociologist Max Weber studied
bureaucracies to find how they worked he identified six
major traits that they all have in common.
•Specialization
•Hierarchy of Offices
•Rules and Regulations
•Technical Competence
•Impersonality
•Formal written communication
Specialization: Each individual is expected to complete
specific tasks that are set by the organization usually in
writing. With this division of labour, workers are not
expected to perform tasks assigned to others.
Hierarchy of Offices: Each person works in an office
with other people. Together they are all responsible for
some aspect of the overall organization. E.g. in a
company that sells computers, one dept. may be
responsible for sales, another for advertising and a 3rd
for shipping. Within this organization, some workers
have more authority than others. Each department in the
computer company would probably be supervised by a
manager. In turn this manager would be supervised by
someone higher up in the organization and so on. Some
offices may follow the centralized model where everyone
is monitored by one individual or group but a tall
structure is more common, with several levels of offices
that are monitored by several levels of officials
Rules & Regulations: The rules lay out the
responsibilities of each person and each department and
indicate how workers are to deal with others in the
bureaucracy, as well as with the public. Rules also set
out the procedures to follow if someone does not obey
the rules
Technical Competence: The education, knowledge,
skills and experience to do the job. You will probably
have to fill out an application and go through an
interview for the job.
Impersonality: Rules are more important than the
personal wishes or whims of the individuals who work
there. Same rules are applied to everyone. A greater
chance of fair treatment and equity.
Formal Written Communication: Written files that keep
a record of communication are necessary when dealing
with a large number of people. Written communication is
necessary.
One of the biggest problems bureaucracies face is inefficiency
which can be caused in a number of ways:
• A bureaucracy can become inefficient when people in it lose
sight of the overall goal and get caught up in the rules and
procedures.
•Bureaucracies are also inefficient when information does not
flow clearly from the people at the top of the organization
down to those who must perform the task.
Inefficiency is often caused by red tape endless amount of
documentation and attention to detail: You need more
documentation you didn’t fill out the right form You don’t
have proper identification. You need another signature.
Pg 195-196 case study 1,2,3
The Collective: Collectives are often created by volunteers or
part-time workers who are involved in community projects
such as alternative schools, small newspapers, health clinics
or community action movements. The collective differs from
the bureaucratic structure in several ways in a collective there
is little division of labour and members contribute to a variety
of jobs. Authority in the collective derives from group
consensus or general agreement not from a managerial
hierarchy.