Week 6- Analyze the forms and functions of social organizations

Forms of Social Groups

Group

 Homans (1950) defines a group as a collection of two or more persons who are in social
interaction, who are guided by similar norms, values and expectations, and who maintain a
stable pattern of relations over a period of time.
 Donald Light (1984) defines a group as a set of individuals who identify and interact with one
another in a structured way based on shared values and goals.
 It is a collection of individuals characterize by:

a) Communication
b) Recognition
c) Specialized roles

Social Group

 Social Group is a unit of interacting personalities with interdependence of roles and statuses
existing between and among themselves.
 It is a collection of the people who interact with each other in accordance with the position they
occupy in the society.
 Society with a group of individuals called a social group.

Examples of Social Groups:

 Family
 Relatives
 Couples
 Friends
 Church mate
 School mate
 Co-workers
 Neighborhood
 Organization
 Clubs
 Social Relation

 The connections that exist between people who have recurring interactions that are
perceived by the participants to have personal meaning.

Social organization
 Refers to a type of collectivity established for the pursuit of specific aims or goals,
characterized by a formal structures of rules, authority relations, a division of labor and
limited membership or admission (Jarry, D. 1995).
 The kinship structure of a culture or society especially as constituted in a stabilized network
of rules of descent and residence

Types of Social Organization

 Formal organization- Formal organizations are designed to achieve certain goals through the
collective work of the individuals who are its members. They rely on a division of labor and
hierarchy of power and authority to ensure that the work is done in a unified and efficient
manner.

Examples: the management of the bank , government of a country

 Informal organization- An informal organization is a group of people who share a common

identity and are committed to achieving a common purpose. Informal organizations are created
by the will and shared identity of their members. The operation of an organization, in reality, is
known as an informal organization as opposed to a formal organization, which is based on roles
and responsibilities.

Example: a group of co-workers, a reading club neighborhood

Three Requirements for a group:

1. There must be two or more people.

2. There must be interaction.
3. The members must be together physically.

Factors that influence Groups

1. Motivational base shared by individuals (based on needs, interests, desires,

noble activities, insecurities, or problems)
2. Size of the group
3. Type of group goals
4. The kind of a group cohesion/unity (the capability to function and interact
collectively in the direction of their goals)
Group as distinguished from other Collection of People like:
1. Aggregate - a simple collection of people who are in the same place at the
same time without interacting with each other
-Eg. People inside the movie house, people riding in an LRT/MRT

2. Category - a simple collection of people who share distinctive characteristics

(age, sex, race, income/social class, occupation, religion, political beliefs,
Ethnicity
-Eg. Males/females in the society; the infants; children; youth; adults/ the
aged; slum dwellers; the middle class; the millionaires

3. Collectivity - Collection of people in a given place and time

-Eg. Crowds, masses, public and social movements are temporary groups

Characteristics of Social Group

1. Given number of individual- Without a number of individual snowshoes shall group can be
formed.
2. Reciprocal relations- These reciprocal relations among the members are the basis of foundation
of social groups without which social groups cannot be formed.
3. Common goals- The aims, objectives, and ideals of the members are common
4. Sense of unity and solidarity- Members of a social group are always tied by a sense of unity and
band of solidarity, common goals and mutual relations strengthen this bond of unity and
solidarity.
5. A strong sense of awe-feeling- Members of a social group are characterized by a strong sense
awe-feeling.
6. Group norms- Every social group has its own regulations and norms which the members are
supposed to follow.
7. Similar behavior- As the interests, ideals and values of a group are common hence its members
behave in a similar manner.
8. Awareness- Members of a social group are aware about the membership which distinguishes
them from others.
9. Group control- Social group exercises some sort of control over its members and over their
activities.
10. Social groups may be permanent or temporary in nature- There are permanent groups like
family and temporary groups like crowd, mob etc.
11. Social groups are dynamic in nature- It is not static. It responds to different changes the nature
of changes.
12. Social groups have established patterns
IMPORTANCE OF A GROUP

1. A group is a major source of solidarity and cohesion.

2. A group reinforces and strengthens our integration into society.
3. A group shares basic survival and problem-solving techniques to satisfy
personal and emotional needs.
4. A group gives meaning and support to an individual.

How is a group formed?

 Members must together feel that they need to form a group in order to achieve their
common objectives
 Membership should be open and voluntary
 The group should be democratically controlled by the general membership; and
 Members should be informed and aware

TYPES OF SOCIAL GROUPS

1.) According to Social Ties

a. Primary Group
 The most fundamental unit of human society
 A long and lasting group whose members have intimate, personal continuous face to
face relationships.
 Characterize by strong tiles of love and affection.
 The do’s and don’ts of behavior are learned here.

Examples: families, gangs, cliques, play groups, friendship groups

b. Secondary Groups
 Groups with which the individual comes in contact later in life.
 Characterize by impersonal business-like, contractual, formal and casual relationships.
 Usually large in size, not very enduring and with limited relationships.
 People need other people for the satisfaction of their complex needs.

Examples: industrial workers, business associates, faculty staff, company employees

 A. PRIMARY GROUPS B. SECONDARY GROUPS
 Personal and intimate relationship  Large
 Face to face communication  Impersonal, aloof relationship
 Permanence duration  Indirect communication
 A strong sense of loyalty or “we” feeling  Temporary duration
 Small in size  Weak group cohesiveness based on self-
 Informal structure interest
 Traditional or non-traditional decision-  Rational decision-making
making  Formal structure

2.) According to Self-identification

a. In-group
 A social unit in which individuals feel home and with which they identify.

b. Out-group
 A social unit to which individuals do not belong due to differences in certain social
categories and with which they do not identify.
c. Reference group or psychological group
 Groups to which we consciously or unconsciously refer when we try to evaluate our own
life situations and behavior, but to which we do not necessarily belong.

3.) According to Purpose

a. Special interest groups
- Groups which are organized to meet the special interest of the member
b. Task Group
- Group assigned to accomplished jobs which cannot be done by one person.
c. Influence or pressure groups
- Group organized to support or influence social actions

4.) According to geographical location and degree or quality relationship

a. Gemeinshaft

 A social system in which most relationship are personal or traditional.

 It is a community of intimate, private and exclusive living and familism.
 Culture is homogeneous and traditional.
 b. Gesellschaft
 A social System in which most relationships are impersonal, formal, contractual or
bargain-like.
 Relationships are individualistic, business-like, secondary and rationalized.
 Culture is heterogeneous and more advanced.

5.) According to form of organization

a. Formal groups
 Deliberately formed, and their purpose and objectives are explicitly defined.
 Their goals are clearly stated and the division of labor is based on a member’s ability or
merit.
 Have a certain type of administrative structure called “bureaucracy”.

Bureaucracy
 Hierarchical arrangement in large scale formal organizations in which parts of the
organization are ordered in the manner of a pyramid based on a division of function and
authority. (Weber, M. 1965)
 Formal, rationally organized social structure.

Weber (1965) identified the following characteristics in a bureaucracy:

1. Positions and offices are clearly defined.

2. The hierarchical arrangements of authority, rights and obligations are specifically drawn and clear-cut.
3. The personnel are selected on the basis of technical or professional qualification and expert training
and competence through competitive examination.
4. Definite rules govern official behavior.
5. Security of tenure and the pursuit of a career with promotion in the hierarchy are assured.

b. Informal groups
 Arises is spontaneously out of the interactions of two or more persons.
 It is unplanned
 Has no explicit rooms for membership and does not have a specific objectives to be
attained.
 It has the characteristics of primary groups and members are bound by emotions and
sentiments.
Basic Elements of Effective Group Work
 Responsibility
 Reliance
 Relationship
 Respect
 Reflection
 Positive interdependence
 Individual accountability
 Constructive interaction
Leadership
 The process of influencing the activities of individuals in a group towards the attainment of
group goals in a given situation.
 It implies the existence of particular influence relationship between two or more persons.

Types of Leadership
 Authoritarian leadership- allow a leader to impose expectations and define outcomes
 Participative leadership- are rooted in democratic theory
 Delegative leadership – Focuses on delegating initiatives to team members
 Transactional leadership- uses “transactions” between a leader and his or her followers
 Transformational leadership- The leader inspires his or her followers with a vision and then
encourage and empowers them to achieve it

Qualities of a leader

 They are self-aware and prioritize personal development

 They focus on the developing others
 The encourage is strategic thinking, innovation and action
 They are ethical and civic-minded
 They practice effective cross-cultural communication

Functions of Social Groups

Such functions include the following:

 Working on a complex and independent task that is too complex for an individual to perform and

that cannot be easily broken down into independent tasks.

 Generating new ideas or creative solutions to solve problems that require inputs from several

people.
  Serving liaison or coordinating functions among several workgroups whose work is to some

extent independent.

 Facilitating the implementation of complex decisions. A group composed of representatives from

various working groups can coordinate the activities of these interrelated groups.

 Serving as a vehicle for training new employees, groups teach new members methods of

operations and group norms

References

https://shsph.blogspot.com/2021/05/understanding-culture-society-and.html

https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/paranaque-national-high-school/business-administration/
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https://cec.vcn.bc.ca/cmp/modules/bld-grp.htm

https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_59

“Social organization.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/social%20organization. Accessed 7 Sep. 2023.

https://www.thoughtco.com/formal-organization-3026329

https://www.vedantu.com/commerce/informal-organization

https://www.polyu.edu.hk/learn-to-learn/student/html/GroupProject/basicElements.htm

https://www.learninghub.ac.nz/study-skills/elements-of-successful-group-work/

https://www.exampleslab.com/10-examples-of-formal-and-informal-organization/

https://youtu.be/wnchy-oY8fU?si=57Xr7gjRiCDlrl60

https://www.iedunote.com/group