The society is made up of different components. For there to be unity and understanding the different aspects of a social grouping must be well defined and organized. In order for one to be able to predict the possible traits of an individual they must first understand the social background of the persorn with the social organization of that society in mind. This document shall in depth focus on the details behind the concept laying forth all the neccesary facts. A short personal essay of how the concepts are predominant in my society has been included in the document. There will thereafter be a conclusion outlining the main pointers of the document.
Societies range from People of a particular geographic location, institution of state of economy or class to those in a similar age bracket. Social organization is a social fact and individual has almost no effect on the organization of his or her society. The set social organization does not only affect our line of thought , action patterns but also the way an individual feels. A brief peak at the past: after the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution. This period is marked by the emergence of great scientists in the socilogical faculty. Two Frenchmen Auguste Comte and Emile Durkheim and Max Weber a German national did the main deelopments of sociology in the twentieth century. During the period of the French Revolution, the social destiny of an individual was predetermined at birth. The sons of peasants became peasant and so did those of the royal lineage. This created a lot of in equality and created such a predictable social order while shutting out possibilities for personal development. The revolution’s aim was to make the individual the basis of any society.
The industrial revolution on the other hand was based on the change from the traditional production of goods to the mass production with the help of machines. This marked a great milestone in the development of the human society. There were major changes in the way of life of society due to the great transformation from a simple life to a more developed economic oriented environment. People changed the way they perceived themselves, others and even the society within which they belonged. The modern society unlike the former traditional society had social diversity. Many individuals of varied origin were expected to settle in harmony. The modern or industrial age had a more personal approach to the need for social solidarity. The modern reason behind solidarity was to accomplish the personal needs while in traditional societies it was based on trust and good will among group members.
The society moved from a traditional setting to a modern setting. This according to a German writer and key historian by the name Fernand Tönnies is known as Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft. The terms refer to community and society respectively. Community in this case represents a group of individuals bound together by either being raised together or by knowing each other. The society is the institutions or the people who occupy a certain political or geographic location. Society often creates a sense of anonymous existence since people do not have to know each other. The setting of Gemeinschaft is similar to that of a family while Gesellschaft takes up the bureaucratic setting. There are two forms of approaching a problem. One can use the bureaucratic or rational method. Bureaucracy means the aspect of doing something or working under a fixed routine in order to accomplish set goals with minimal personal judgment as stated by rational on the other hand as stated by means effective and efficient movement towards a set goal or achievement. Bureaucracy is made up of division of labor and the hierarchy of authority in any organization. The division of labor enables the organization to serve its clients and purposes effectively while the hierarchy of authority focuses on the levels of authority or management often referred to as the chain of command. In bureaucracy, the individual is often detached from the position he or she holds, this is known as impersonality. The modern bureaucracy has many aspects and demands such as skilled labor or expertise, effective training and specialization of interest and service to maintain efficiency. Bureaucracy is less concerned with feelings of those in the system. Regard to one’s feeling as often discussed gets in the way of efficient functioning and focus of an individual.
There are two forms of rational namely: substantive and formal, which is, or commonly known as functional rationality. The level of rationality starts from an individual level sailing to the corporate levels. At the individual level rational is employed to meet the set goals like earning some money from a job. At the corporate or industrious level, there is more than one goal to accomplish. There are goals to accomplish the financial needs of the organization and to ensure there is a smooth operating of the different faculties of the organization. The need to obtain the financial goals is considered substantial rationality of the organization. Institutions of learning have educating its students as the substantial purpose while industries have profit making as the core duty.
An organization has to marry rules and results to function at its best. The marriage is not easy to establish but it is ideal. It is true to say that substantial rationality precedes functional rationality. The functional rational at times takes its own turn and exist on its own. Scheduling is an aspect of bureaucracy. It is more concerned with the organization of time. The conflict of scheduling for example of class lessons with the effective methods of teaching in many institutions of learning is a typical example of functional rational taking over. The administration makes convenient decisions to favor the smooth running of its operation. Ehrenreich (2000) states that at the time she worked as a housemaid there were strict rules and restrictions. The maids were organized in teams of up to four there had to be a team leader who handled the communication duties. He or she was expected to discuss the main duties of the maids at the same time discuss the payment and charges of the service provided. The company handled the payments of the maids. The substance rational in this case is the payment for the service while the function rational is the company establishing teams with leaders to ensure efficiency.
Functional rationalism is more concerned with the maintenance of universality and system order. The maids had no permission to touch anything in the house. They were not supposed to drink water. However, I broke this rule especially during hot and drank from the faucet. We could not watch TV or listen to radios as they were off –limits. Moreover, cursing was prohibited even when alone in a deserted house. There might be a homeowner secreted in some locked room” (Ehrenreich 2000). The implementation of rules is a way of maintaining the systems functionality with those who cross the rules being punished.
There is always great need for control of resources. Human resource is a major factor of organizational development. There are many levels of work or departments in a particular organization. The management often has a tough duty to maintain the efficiency of all employees with minimal supervision and internal resources. Introduction of a computerized sales monitoring program in the AnnTaylor Stores lead to a great and positive shift in efficiency management. The employer and his employees could now tell their busiest and most profitable working hours. The best sales people were assigned better shifts to increase the sales numbers. The sales system is a product of functional rational to ensure sales efficiency while the money made from the sales is the substance rational. The sales system also help to create equality of sales opportunity since the highest sellers get more exposure at busy hours and get better wages. The provision of opportunity is in line with how functional rational aims at creating a state of universalism. The people who run the institutions that exist in society justify the emphasis on functional rational as vital in meeting the substantial achievements or goals.
Currently I am employed in a writing firm. The firm is a typical bureaucracy. The firm has an employee base of twenty employees. There are different relevant levels of management. The employee works to earn money while the company is out to make profits. The two goals serve as the functional role of the bureaucracy. In order to make the goals attainable there has to be a system put in place. This system in my case is the management at the different levels. The management serves to fulfill the functional purpose of the bureaucracy. The organization is of the Gesellschaft. This is a modern social organization setting. The Gemeinschaft social organization known, as community is similar to the rural society that I was raised in. the rural society has little or no technology. The social organization of this place is simple and work is done to serve the basic needs of the social beings.
In conclusion, the social organization of a society is important to ensure efficiency and mutual existence among individuals. Each person has a role to play in his or her society. Social organization incorporates various aspects of sociology such as bureaucracy, which is set systems of functions to accomplish goals and rational which refers to the efficiency of actions put in place to achieve goals. The two concepts have long been developed in the human society from the period of French Revolution and Industrial Revolution up to current times. Social organization is up held by individuals at all time.
Reference
Ehrenreich, B. (2000).Harper’s Magazine. Maid to Order. Web.