Exam 6: Groups and Organizations

Political sociologist Robert Michels stated that all organizations encounter the "iron cage anarchy"-the tendency to become a bureaucracy ruled by the few.His central idea was that those who control bureaucracies wield power but have no interest in retaining their power.

On one hand,__________ may be viewed positively by group members because they do not flaunt their power or position.On the other hand,a group that needs active leadership is not likely to find it with this style of leadership,which does not work vigorously to promote group goals.

Larger groups typically have __________ leadership structures.Their leaders are expected to perform a variety of roles,some related to the internal workings of the group and others related to external relationships with other groups.

A network is a web of social relationships that links one person with other people and through them,with other people they know.

Define networks and describe how they have changed over time.

According to social psychologist Irving Janis,__________ is the process by which members of a cohesive group arrive at a decision that many individual members privately believe is unwise.

Political parties,ecological activist groups,religious organizations,parent-teacher associations,and college sororities and fraternities are examples of __________ organizations.

__________ is a form of compliance in which people follow direct orders from someone in a position of authority.

Explain what is meant by groupthink and elaborate on reasons why it can be dangerous for organizations.

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

__________ leadership is most appropriate when the group's purpose is to reach a particular goal.

The potential members in a group refers to the ___________ size of a group.

We voluntarily join __________ organizations when we want to pursue some common interest or gain personal satisfaction or prestige from being a member.

Three major styles of leadership exist in groups.Which of the following is NOT one of them?

In a bureaucracy,each lower office is under the control and supervision of a higher one.This characteristic of a bureaucracy is known as:

A(n) __________ is a group that strongly influences a person's behavior and social attitudes,regardless of whether that individual is an actual member.

Which of the following is NOT one of the ideal-type characteristics of bureaucratic organizations,as specified by Max Weber?

According to Robert Merton,the term "bureaucratic personality" describes those workers who are more concerned with following correct procedures than they are with getting the job done correctly.

Groups have a significant amount of influence on our values,attitudes,and behavior.Asch's experiments illustrate that in order to gain and then retain our membership in groups,most of us are willing to:

Discuss social psychologist Irving Janis' groupthink theory.