Ch 5 Groups and Formal Organizations - Key Terms

aggregate: individuals who temporarily share the same physical space but do not see themselves as belonging together (p. 109)

alienation: Marx's term for the workers' lack of connection to the product of their labor; caused by their being assigned repetitive tasks on a small part of a product: this leads to a sense of powerlessness and normlessness; also used in the general sense of not feeling a part of something (p. 117)

authoritarian leader: a leader who leads by giving orders (p. 125)

bureaucracy: a formal organization with a hierarchy of authority; a clear division of labor; emphasis on written rules, communications, and records; and impersonality of positions (p. 115)

category: people who have similar characteristics (p. 109)

clique: a cluster of people within a larger group who choose to interact with one another; an internal faction (p. 113)

coalition: the alignment of some members of a group against others (p. 123)

corporate culture: the orientations that characterize corporate work settings (p. 119)

democratic leader: a leader who leads by trying to reach a consensus (p. 125)

dyad: the smallest possible group, consisting of two persons (p. 121)

electronic community: individuals who regularly interact with one another on the Internet and who think of themselves as belonging together (p. 115

expressive leader: an individual who increases harmony and minimizes conflict in a group; also known as a socioemotional leader (p. 124)

goal displacement: the adoption of new goals by an organization; also known as goal replacement (p. 116)

group: people who have something in common and who believe that what they have in common is significant; also called a social group (p. 109)

group dynamics: the ways in which individuals affect groups and the ways in which groups influence individuals (p. 121)

groupthink: Irving Janis's term for a narrowing of thought by a group of people, leading to the perception that there is only one correct answer; in groupthink, to suggest alternatives becomes a sign of disloyalty (p. 128)

in-groups: groups toward which one feels loyalty (p.111)

instrumental leader: an individual who tries to keep the group moving toward its goals; also known as a task oriented leader (p. 124)

(the) iron law of oligarchy: Robert Michels's phrase for the tendency of formal organizations to be dominated by a small, self- perpetuating elite (p. 111)

laissez-faire leader: an individual who leads by being highly permissive (p. 125)

leader: someone who influences other people (p. 124)

leadership styles: ways in which people express their leadership (p. 125)

networking: using one's social networks for some gain (p. 114)

out-groups: groups toward which one feels antagonism (p. 111)

primary group: a group characterized by intimate, long-term, face-to-face association and cooperation (p. 109)

(the) rationalization of society: a widespread acceptance of rationality and a social organization' largely built around this idea (p. 117)

reference group: Herbert Hyman's term for a group we use as a standard by which we evaluate ourselves (p. 112)

secondary group: compared with a primary group, a larger, relatively temporary, more anonymous, formal, and impersonal group based on some interest or activity, whose members are likely to interact on the basis of specific roles (p. 110)

small group: a group small enough for everyone to interact directly with all the other members, p.121)

social network: the social ties radiating outward from the self that link people together (p. 113)

triad: a group of three people (p. 121)

voluntary association: a group made up of people who voluntarily organize on the basis of some mutual interest, also known as voluntary memberships. (p. 110)