Course Code: HUM203

Course Title: Sociology

Lecture / Week No: Social Groups & Organization
(05)
Instructor Name: Muhammad Faizan Khan
Reference Book: Introduction to Sociology by
openstax college

Department of Business Administration

Social Groups
A collection of two or more people who:
• Interact frequently.
• Share a sense of belonging.
• Have a feeling of interdependence.
 Aggregates/ happen to be in the same place at the same time:
 Airline passengers, shoppers, waiting at a traffic light

 Categories share a common/similar characteristic:

 Students, elderly, Native Americans
 Cooley’s Primary and Secondary Groups
Primary group Emotion-based interaction over extended period.
Secondary group Impersonal, goal-oriented relationships for a limited time.

Sumner’s In-groups and Out-groups

Group to which a person belongs and feels a sense of
In-group
identity.
Group to which a person doesn’t belong and feels a
Out-group
sense of hostility towards.
In-groups and Out-groups

• Sometimes the distinction between an in-group and an out-group is

subtle. The word club suggests that this country club is for “members
only,” and that other people should not enter.
Reference Group
• Influences a person’s behavior and attitudes, regardless of whether they
are a member.
• We may act more like members of a group we want to join than members
of groups to which we already belong.
• In this case, reference groups are a source of anticipatory socialization.
Group Size

Dyad Group composed of two members.

Triad Group composed of three members.

Formal Highly structured secondary group formed for the

organization purpose of achieving specific goals
Dyads and Triads

• How might the conversation between these two women change when
another person arrives to talk with them?
Possible Interactions Based on Group Size
Group Leadership Functions
• Instrumental leadership is most appropriate when the group’s purpose is to
complete a task or reach a particular goal.
• Expressive leadership is most appropriate when the group is dealing with
emotional issues, and harmony, solidarity, and high morale are needed.
Group Leadership Styles
• Authoritarian leaders - often criticized for fostering intergroup hostility.
• Democratic leaders - praised for supportive behavior and blamed for being
indecisive in a crisis.
• Laissez-faire leaders - do not provide active leadership.
Leadership Styles

• Organizations have different

leadership styles based on the
purpose of the group. How do
leadership styles in the military
differ from those on college and
university campuses?
Types of Formal Organizations

Organizations we join voluntarily to pursue a common

Normative
interest or gain prestige.

Associations people are forced to join. (Example: boot

Coercive
camps and prisons)

Organizations we join voluntarily when they can provide

Utilitarian
us with a material reward.
Normative Organizations

• Normative organizations rely on

volunteers to fulfill their goals.
Red Cross workers in Sri Lanka
aided relief efforts in that country
following a deadly tsunami.
Coercive Organizations

• Coercive organizations relay on involuntary recruitment; these prison inmates in

Alabama are being resocialized in a total institution.
Utilitarian Organizations

• Utilitarian organizations provide material rewards to participants; in teaching

hospitals, medical students and patients hope they benefit from their
involvement.
Characteristics and Effects of Bureaucracy
Race, Class and Gender Inequalities

• Although people of color and women of all racial and ethnic categories
have made economic gains in U.S. bureaucratic organizations, power
typically remains in the hands of a few affluent white men.
Alternative Forms of Organization
“Humanizing” the bureaucracy:
1. Greater sharing of power and responsibility.
2. Encouragement of participants to share their ideas and try new
approaches.
3. Efforts to reduce the number of people in dead‑end jobs and to help
people meet family responsibilities.
References / Resources

1. Introduction to Sociology by openstax college