The social organization of society ( from late Lat. Organizio - “form”, “communicate a slender look” < lat. Organum - “instrument, instrument”) is the normative social order established in society, as well as activities aimed at maintaining or bringing it to it.
Organization is often understood as 1) the property of society as a whole or of a social object to have an ordered structure, and 2) activities related to a clear distribution of functions and delegation of authority, regulation and coordination of actions, and management.
In the first case, the term "organization" means the established social order in the system as a whole or in its individual subsystems. For example, the organization of state power on the basis of the administrative-territorial principle, or the organization of expenditure on an enterprise through a system of standards for the development and qualification of work.
In the second case, the term “organization” characterizes the moment of activity related to management. For example, the leader organizes the production process - this means that he must place people in jobs in such a way as to ensure its continuity and continuity.
Thus, the organization is understood as a certain normative order, which is ensured by the whole set of regulatory mechanisms and the actions taken to maintain it and bring to it.
However, there is also a third, more special meaning of this term in society: “social organization” is a specific social unit that unites individuals into a group that jointly and coordinated implements a common goal (N. Smelser). A social organization, writes N. Smelzer, is a secondary social group formed to achieve certain goals. [1] . In the "Philosophical Encyclopedic Dictionary" (Moscow, 1983), the broad and narrow meanings of social organization are distinguished. In a broad sense, this concept "characterizes the methods of ordering and regulating the actions of individual individuals and social groups ...". In a narrower sense, “a social organization is a relatively autonomous group of people focused on achieving some predetermined goal, the implementation of which requires joint and coordinated actions” [2] . But in any case, the organization is inherent in hierarchy and manageability. According to A. I. Prigogine, “organizations arise,” he writes, “when the achievement of any common goals is achieved through the achievement of individual goals; or when the achievement of individual goals is carried out through the promotion and achievement of common goals ” [3] .
Content
Definition
A social organization is a target group (secondary and practical group) that arises from a social need and is an ordered, regulated and coordinated way of working together, applying a certain algorithm to the actions of people grouped around a set of goals: social precepts and expectations (social roles) .
Signs of a social organization
Social organizations are necessary elements of the social structure of society , along with social communities , social groups and social institutions and are not reducible to any of them.
Three specific features distinguish social organizations from them:
firstly, organizations are, first of all, practically functioning groups, and not social ones, oriented towards achieving rational, functional, immediate goals;
secondly, organizations are such communities of people who are characterized by a high degree of formalization. Unlike social communities, their internal structure is highly formalized, normative, and standardized in the sense that the rules, regulations, and routines cover almost the entire sphere of behavior of its members.
thirdly, organizations, unlike social institutions, are very dependent on the quality of the participants, the personal qualities of their members, organizers, their group properties (organization, cohesion, solidarity, mobility, manageability, etc.), the composition is changing - it is changing " face of the organization.
The structure of formal social organization is characterized by the following features:
- rationality , that is, the basis of its formation and activity is the principle of expediency, usefulness, conscious movement towards a specific goal;
- impersonality , that is, it (the organization) is indifferent to the individual personality characteristics of its members, since it is designed for relationships established by a given function;
- service relations , that is, it provides and regulates only service relations;
- functionality , subordinated in its activities and communications to functional (necessary, necessary) goals;
- the presence of organizers , persons who are systematically involved in its management, that is, it has (in most cases) an administrative link (“core”), administrative personnel who are constantly responsible for maintaining the organization’s stability, coordinating the interactions of its members and the effectiveness of its activities as a whole.
Social Organization Structure
In social organization, formal and informal structures can be distinguished. The formal structure of social organization includes the following elements (components):
- organization goals;
- members of the organization, or participants;
- “Organizers”, forming the managerial link, “organizational core” (this attribute is typical for large groups, for small it is not required);
- a set of interrelated roles (that is, each performs its part of the common cause);
- rules governing human behavior;
- means of activity (technical, technological, informational, financial, etc.), including technology - systematic knowledge of useful and most rational methods of practical actions (techniques, operations, procedures);
- specified algorithm of actions;
- a system of relationships between members of an organization, primarily relations of subordinate authority;
- streamlined relations with other organizations surrounding social groups and communities (for example, with clients), institutions (for example, with the state), the whole society.
Types of Social Organizations
Depending on the design of the organizational structure, social organizations are divided into formal and informal.
- The informal is a system of interpersonal relationships that arises on the basis of individuals' mutual interest in each other outside of their functional needs, that is, a direct, spontaneous community of people based on a personal choice of relationships and associations among themselves (companionship, mutual sympathy, amateur interests and etc.).
Three main features of this phenomenon can be distinguished:
a) spontaneity, that is, unplanned occurrence;
b) the existence and functioning along with (in parallel) with the formal organization;
c) the main feature is the unofficial, “non-business” content of interpersonal relations.
- Formal is a form of relations within an officially formed team, fixed by job descriptions, regulations, orders and orders. It involves compliance with the approved standards of conduct and the interaction of employees within such a team.
In many formal organizations, there are informal organizations that arise on their own, where people group around one or several people and regularly interact with each other.
Types of Social Organizations
The organization is often used in connection with concepts such as labor, production and social organization.
I. A labor organization is: an organizationally consolidated set of people acting according to a single plan to achieve a goal that is significant for all members of the organization and to create a certain socially necessary product or service. It is necessary to distinguish between such concepts as labor and industrial organization. The labor organization is much wider than the production one and covers workers in industrial, scientific, educational, medical, cultural, educational, administrative and other organizations.
II. A manufacturing organization refers only to the sphere of material production; workers are united in it with the goal of producing material wealth. Labor organizations operate in all spheres of public life and differ from each other mainly by two criteria:
1) by form of ownership. Currently, the following forms of ownership can be distinguished:
a) state;
b) cooperative;
c) joint stock;
d) the property of the labor collective;
e) private;
f) joint with foreign capital;
g) foreign;
2) by fields of activity:
a) organizations operating in the field of material production (in industry, construction, transport, agriculture, etc.),
b) organizations operating in the non-productive sphere (cultural, healthcare, educational institutions, etc.).
III. Public organizations - non-governmental / non-governmental voluntary associations of citizens on the basis of shared interests and goals. Environmental, political, sports, leisure, charitable, cultural, etc. are distinguished.
According to the degree of cohesion among social organizations, the following are distinguished: organization-association, organization-cooperation, organization-collective, organization-corporation.
Notes
- ↑ See: Smelser N. Sociology. Per. from English M., "Phoenix", 1994. S. 189, 636.
- ↑ Philosophical Encyclopedic Dictionary. M., 1983. S. 463.
- ↑ Prigogine A. I. Modern sociology of organizations. M., 1995 p. 45.
Literature
- Anthony Bradley, Mark MacDonald. Social Organization: Using Social Media to Engage the Collective Mind of Your Customers and Employees = The Social Organization How To Use Social Media To Tap The Collective Genius Of Your Customers And Employees. - M .: Alpina Publisher , 2015 .-- 248 p. - ISBN 978-5-9614-5078-1 .