Exam 7: Bureaucracy and Formal Organizations

Diversity in the workplace is based almost exclusively on skin color and race.

Which distinguishing feature of Calvinism contributed to the rise of capitalism?

Bureaucracies tend to perpetuate their existence, even after their initial purpose has been fulfilled, through a process called bureaucratic ritualism.

How do conflict theorists view the motives of management when it humanizes the work setting?

The university's administration has increased class size without receiving input from the faculty or considering that some courses need to have low enrollments. In view of this, what is the most probable reaction the professors will take to this latest administrative decision?

A common thread that runs through all voluntary associations is ________.

Match the term with the definition. 1) traditional society 2) the rationalization of society 3) capitalism 4) formal organization 5) bureaucracy 6) "McDonaldization" of society 7) alienation 8) Peter principle 9) goal displacement 10) voluntary association 11) iron law of oligarchy 12) worker empowerment 13) humanizing a work setting 14) hidden corporate culture 15) cyberslacking -A) a secondary group designed to achieve explicit objectives B) the adoption of new goals by an organization C) Robert Michel's term for the tendency of formal organizations to be dominated by a small, self-perpetuating elite D) Marx's term for a worker's lack of connection with the product of his or her labor E) a widespread acceptance of rationality and the construction of social organizations that are built largely around this idea F) using computers at work for personal purposes G) organizing a work setting in such a way that it develops rather than impedes human potential H) a group made up of people who organize of their own free will on the basis of some mutual interest I) giving workers the ability to manage their own work units, usually in small teams J) the powerful effects that self-fulfilling stereotypes have on workers and bosses, including higher or lower expectations and open or closed opportunities, all of which may produce or inhibit attitudes and accomplishments K) a tongue-in-cheek observation that the members of an organization are promoted for their accomplishments until they reach their level of incompetence L) a society in which the past is thought to be the best guide for the present M) an economic system characterized by the private ownership of the means of production, the pursuit of profit, and market competition N) a formal organization with a hierarchy of authority and a clear division of labor O) the process by which ordinary aspects of life become rationalized and efficiency comes to rule them, including such issues as mass production of food products, goods, and services

According to Marx, alienation refers to a worker's loss of ownership of the product of his or her labor.

What are three qualities that permanent voluntary associations (e.g., Boy Scouts, Kiwanis Club, the Democratic Party) share?

The Ku Klux Klan, March of Dimes, and Boy Scouts of America all have specific objectives that guide their operations. Even though their respective activities and membership rosters indicate significant differences, all three would share the classification of being ________.

When the former Soviet Union collapsed, NATO forces were no longer needed to protect Europe from a communist invasion. Rather than disband NATO, it was turned into a "rapid response force" to fight terrorism. Sociologists would call this shift in focus an example of ________.

Using computers at work to download music, play computer games, trade stocks, and make purchases on eBay are examples of a growing corporate problem called ________.

As voluntary organizations, what do the College Young Democrats, Kiwanis Club, Uptown Stamp Collectors' Club, and National Rifle Association all have in common?

Discuss the seven functions of voluntary associations.

How do bureaucracies perpetuate themselves through goal displacement? Provide an example of goal displacement.

What does it mean to humanize the work setting? How would functionalists, symbolic interactionists, and conflict theorists view the humanizing of a work setting?

As diversity in the workplace continues to increase, more than half of U.S. workers include which three groups?

Tom works as an agent for a large insurance company. At his work station, he has taped pictures of his wife and granddaughter and of last year's Caribbean vacation. Sociologists would see these pictures as an attempt by Tom to ________.

Sam, an aspiring and talented young attorney, has been promoted every year since he joined the law firm of Howard, Howard, and Fine. Unfortunately, Sam feels he cannot handle the responsibilities of his latest promotion. In an effort to keep his newly acquired job title, Sam has begun to take credit for the work done by the employees he supervises. Sam's behavior is an example of ________.

In order to withstand fierce global competition, corporations must practice ________ and stay ________ in order to survive.