Human Behavior and the Social Environment II Part VI Chapter 20 Group & Organizational Culture

Chapter 20 Group Organizational Culture Discuss alternative approaches used within organizations . Discuss different types of management and leadership styles and how they can shape an organization climate and culture . Explain why organizations are important to our lives . Define terms related to organizations . Discuss traditional theories of organizational development . Introduction The term group refers to any collection of at least two people who interact frequently and share identity traits aligned with the 726 Chapter 20 Group Organizational Culture

group ( et al . 2015 ) Groups play different roles in our lives . Primary groups are usually small groups characterized by interaction , intimacy , and a strong sense of commitment . Primary groups remain inside us throughout our lifetime ( 2011 ) Secondary groups are large and impersonal groups that form from sharing a common interest . Different types of groups influence our interactions , identity , and social status . George Herbert Mead ( 1934 ) called individuals affecting a persons life as significant others , and he generalized others as the organized and generalized attitude of a social group . Different types of groups influence our interactions , identity , and social status . An is a group toward which one feels particular loyalty and respect . The traits of groups are virtues , whereas traits of are vices ( 2011 ) An is a group toward which one feels antagonism and contempt . Consider fans at a sporting event , people cheering on our supporting the same team will develop an admiration and acceptance while viewing fans of the opposing team as members of their . Reference groups are also influential groups in someone life . A reference group provides a standard for judging one own attitudes or behaviors within a social setting or context ( 2011 ) People use reference groups as a method for and social location . People commonly use reference groups in the workplace by watching and emulating the interactions and practices of others so they fit in and garner acceptance by the group . rou Dy Group dynamics focus on how groups influence individuals and how individuals affect groups . The social dynamics between individuals play a significant role in forming group solidarity . Social unity reinforces a collective identity and shared thinking among group Chapter 20 Group Organizational Culture 727

members thereby constructing a common culture ( 2013 ) Commonalities of group membership are important for mobilizing individual members . When people attempt to create social change or establish a social movement group , solidarity helps facilitate the motivation of individuals and the framing of their actions . The sense of belonging and trust among the group makes it easier for members to align and recognize the problem , accept a possible solution , take certain actions that are congruent complementary to the collective identity of the group ( 2013 ) People accept the group approach based on solidarity cohesiveness that overall amplifies personal mobilization commitment to the group and its goals . COLLECTIVE IDENTITY AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS Research TED Talks videos on social movements and social change such as the following How to Start a Movement Derek and Online Social Change . What lessons can you learn about collective identity from the stories presented ?

How does group culture make it possible to construct a social movement ?

Explain how acts ( social interactions ) lead to changes ( systems , organizations , and processes ) in society . What impact does intrinsic or internal motivation and framing of the issue have on organizing a social movement ?

728 Chapter 20 Group Organizational Culture Organization An organization refers to a group of people with a collective goa or purpose linked to bureaucratic tendencies including a hierarchy of authority , clear division of labor , explicit rules , and ( and Carr 2013 ) Organizations function within existing cultures and produce their own . Forma organizations fall into three categories including normative , coercive , and utilitarian ( 1975 ) People join normative or voluntary organizations based on shared interests ( club or cause ) Coercive organizations are groups that people are or forced to join ( addiction rehabilitation program or jail ) People join utilitarian organizations to obtain a specific reward ( private school or college ) When we work or live in organizations , there are multiple levels of interaction that affect social unity and operations . On an individual level , people must learn and assimilate into the culture of the organization . Al organizations face the problem of motivating its members to work together to achieve common goals ( 2013 ) Generally , in organizations , small group develop with their own meaning and practices to help facilitate and safeguard members within the organizational structure . Group members will exercise force ( peer pressure and incentives ) actively socialize ( guide feelings and actions with normative controls ) and model behavior ( exemplary actors and stories ) to build cohesiveness ( 2013 ) Small groups play an integral role in managing individual members to maintain the function of the organization . Think about the school or college you attend . There are many within any educational setting and each group establishes the norms and behaviors members must follow for social acceptance . Can you identify at least two on your school campus and speculate how members of the group pressure each other to fit in ?

Chapter 20 Group Organizational Culture 729 Symbolic Power On a group level , symbolic power matters in recruiting members and sustaining the culture of a group within the larger social culture ( 2003 ) Symbolic power is the power of constructing reality to guide people in understanding their place in the organizational hierarchy ( 1991 ) This power occurs in everyday interactions through unconscious cultural and social domination . The dominant group of an organization influences the prevailing culture and provides its function in communications forcing all groups or to define themselves by their distance from the dominant culture ( 1991 ) The instrument of symbolic power is the instrument of domination in the organization by creating the ideological systems of its goals , purpose , and operations . Symbolic power not only governs the culture of the organization but also manages solidarity and division between groups . We see examples of symbolic power in the military . Each branch of the military has a hierarchy of authority where generals serve as the dominant group and are responsible for the prevailing culture . Each rank socializes members according to their position within the organization in relation to the hierarchy and fulfills their role to achieve collective goals and maintain functions . Organizational Culture There are external factors that influence organizational culture . The context and atmosphere of a nation shape an organization . When an organization culture aligns with national ideology , they can receive special attention or privileges in the way of financial incentives or policy changes ( 2013 ) In contrast , organizations opposing national culture may face suppression , or be denied government and economic . Organizations must also operate 730 Chapter 20 Group Organizational Culture

across a multiplicity of cultures ( 2013 ) Cultural differences between organizations may affect their operations and achievement of goals . To be successful , organizations must be able to operate in a variety of and cultures . 2013 ) suggested one way to work across cultural is to maintain an overarching organizational mission but be willing to adapt on insignificant or minor issues . Financial and banking institutions use this approach . Depending on the region , banks offer different cultural incentives for opening an account or obtaining a loan . In California , homeowners may obtain loans for improvements including installation of solar panels , weatherproof windows , or drought resistance landscaping . CULTURAL SOLIDARITY Describe the culture of an organization where you have worked , volunteered , or attended school . What are the stories and symbols that everyone who works , volunteers , or attends there knows ?

What subculture groups exist within the organization , and what forms of conflict take place between units or classifications . How do the heads of the organization use symbolic power to motivate people ?

In the state of Michigan , affluent homeowners may acquire a Chapter 20 Group Organizational Culture 731 property improvement loan , and very homeowners may receive grants for repairing , improving , or modernizing their homes to remove health and safety hazards . Working across organizational cultures also requires some dimension of trust . Organizational leaders must model forms and symbols of trust between organizations , groups , and individuals ( and 2007 ) This means authority figures must draw on the organization internal and external diversity of cultures to show its ability to adapt and work in a variety of cultural and political settings and climates . Organizations often focus on internal allegiance forgetting that shared meaning across the marketplace , sector , or industry is what moves the understanding of the overall system and each organization place in it ( 2013 ) The lack of cultural coordination and understanding undermines many organizations and has significant consequences or accomplishing its goals and ability to sustain itself . ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE Consider the culture of an organization where you have worked , volunteered , or attended school . Describe a time when you witnessed someone receive a nonverbal , negative sanction ( a look of disgust , a shake of the head , or some other nonverbal sign of disapproval ) What organizational norm was being broken ( what was the act that led the person to give a nonverbal 732 Chapter 20 Group Organizational Culture

negative sanctioning ) Was the norm broken considered a structural or cultural violation ?

What was the reaction of the norm violator to the negative sanction ?

Was the norm being enforced as a result of peer pressure , external forces , mimicking , or modeling ?

References , Pierre . 1991 . Language and Symbolic Power . Cambridge , MA Polity Press . 1975 . A Comparative Analysis of Complex Organizations On Power , Involvement , and Their Correlates . New York Free Press . Anthony , Mitchell , Richard , and Deborah Carr . 2013 . Essentials of Sociology . ed . New York Norton Company , Heather , Nathan , Eric Strayer , Susan , Gail , Tommy , Sally , Jeff , and Faye Jones . 2015 . Introduction to Sociology . Houston , College . Wendy . 2013 . Cultures and Societies in a Changing World . ed . Thousand Oaks , CA Sage Publications , James 2011 . Essentials of Sociology A Approach . ed . Upper Saddle River , Pearson . Chapter 20 Group Organizational Culture 733

, Israel , and Renee . 2007 . of Trust The Practice of Trust in a Multinational Organization Amid Political American Sociological Review . Attribution A Adapted from pages 17 through 20 from Beyond Race Cultural on Human Social Life Vera under the license . 734 Chapter 20 Group Organizational Culture