Exam 6: Groups and Organizations

Describe sociologist George Ritzer's "McDonaldization".

Occasionally,people in aggregates and categories form social groups.For instance,people within the category known as "graduate students" may form social groups as they interact with one another in classes and seminars,find that they have mutual interests and concerns,and develop a sense of belonging to the group.

______________ occurs when the rules become an end in themselves rather than a means to an end,and organizational survival becomes more important than achievement of goals.

In relation to types of groups,describe sociologist Charles Horton Cooley's theory on primary and secondary groups.

The assessment of outcomes based on quantifiable rather than subjective criteria is referred to as:

In a series of experiments conducted by Solomon Asch,the pressure toward group conformity was so great that participants were willing to contradict their own best judgment if the rest of the group disagreed with them.

______________ leaders encourage group discussion and decision making through consensus building.

Sociologist______________suggested that small groups have distinctive interaction patterns that do not exist in larger groups.

Mary runs her sorority with an authoritarian leadership style because she encourages group decision making and reaching a consensus.

According to functionalists,______________needs cannot always be met by one person,so the group works cooperatively to fulfill a specific goal.For example,think of how hard it would to function as a one-person football team or to single-handedly build a skyscraper.

Some bureaucracies perpetuate inequalities of race,class,and gender because this form of organizational structure creates a specific type of work or learning environment.This structure was typically created for:

A(n)______________organization is a highly structured secondary group formed for the purpose of achieving specific goals in the most efficient manner.

Because of the assumed relationship between size and importance,officials tend to press for larger budgets and more staff and office space.To justify growth,administrators and managers must come up with more tasks for workers to perform.This is an example of what type of problem associated with bureaucracies?

The tragic 2010 explosion of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig has been cited as an example of groupthink.

Individuals with______________socioeconomic status are more likely to be not only members of normative organizations but also an important determinant.

According to political sociologist Robert Michels,all organizations encounter the______________- the tendency to become a bureaucracy ruled by the few.His central idea was that those who control bureaucracies not only wield power but also have an interest in retaining their power.

In relation to group conformity,summarize Solomon Asch's research.

A(n)______________is a collection of two or more people who interact frequently with one another,share a sense of belonging,and have a feeling of interdependence.

A(n) _____________ Characteristic. Is a number of people who may never have met one another but share a similar

A(n)______________is an abstract model that describes the recurring characteristics of some phenomenon (such as bureaucracy).