Utrecht University
Sociology of
Organizations
Week 1-8
Sociology
2020-2021
,Index
Week 1...................................................................................................................................................6
Lecture 1: Introduction & theoretical strands 1..................................................................................6
(1) Managerial-psychologistic strand..............................................................................................6
(2) Durkheim-Human-Relations......................................................................................................7
(3) Interactionist-negotiated order (Erving Goffman).....................................................................7
Lecture 2: Theoretical strands 2.........................................................................................................8
(4) Weber-social action – institutional............................................................................................8
(5) Marx: labour process.................................................................................................................9
(6) Post-modern & post-structuralist............................................................................................10
Literature: Watson chapter 2; analysing work and organization: scientific management, human
relations and negotiated orders.......................................................................................................11
Strands of thought and key theoretical perspectives in the sociology of work and organization.11
The managerial-psychologistic strand..........................................................................................11
The Durkheim-human-relations-systems strand..........................................................................14
The interactionist-negotiated-order strand..................................................................................15
Summary......................................................................................................................................17
Video 6.2 (Durkheim)........................................................................................................................17
Literature: Watson chapter 3; analysing work and organization: institutionalism, labour process
and discourse analysis......................................................................................................................17
The Weber-social-action-institutional strand...............................................................................17
The Marxian-labour-process strand..............................................................................................20
The post-structuralist strand and postmodernism.......................................................................21
Sociology, discourses and working lives.......................................................................................23
Summary......................................................................................................................................23
Literature: Taylor; the principles of scientific management.............................................................23
The effect of labour-saving devices..............................................................................................23
The development of soldiering.....................................................................................................24
Characteristics of the union workman..........................................................................................24
The development of scientific management................................................................................24
The workmen the chief beneficiaries............................................................................................24
What scientific management is.....................................................................................................24
Intelligent old-style management.................................................................................................24
What scientific management will do............................................................................................25
The selection of the workman......................................................................................................25
1
, Bringing together the science and the man..................................................................................25
The principle of the division of work............................................................................................25
The proof of the theory................................................................................................................25
The science of shovelling..............................................................................................................25
Teaching the men.........................................................................................................................25
Does scientific management pay?................................................................................................26
The discovery of high speed steel.................................................................................................26
The effect on the workmen..........................................................................................................26
Video 5.1 The unexpected force of social thought (Marx)................................................................26
Video 5.2 Economic chains of interdependency...............................................................................26
Video 5.3 Homo faber.......................................................................................................................27
Video 5.4 Alienation.........................................................................................................................27
Video 5.5 Class struggle....................................................................................................................27
Video 5.6 Caught in the capitalist system.........................................................................................28
Video 5.7 Class consciousness..........................................................................................................28
Video 5.8 Marx’s predictions............................................................................................................28
Week 2.................................................................................................................................................29
Lecture 3: a history of work and organizations.................................................................................29
Lecture 4: organizational structure...................................................................................................33
Literature: Watson chapter 4 (pp. 91-94); work, organization and globalization.............................36
The nature of modern societies....................................................................................................36
Literature: Smith chapter 1, book I; of the division of labour...........................................................37
Literature: Weber chapter VIII; bureaucracy....................................................................................38
Characteristics of bureaucracy.....................................................................................................38
The position of the official............................................................................................................38
Video 2.2 The invisible hand (Smith)................................................................................................39
Video 2.3 The division of labour.......................................................................................................39
Video 7.6 The three ideal types of authority (Weber)......................................................................40
Video 7.7 Rationalization..................................................................................................................40
Video 7.8 The protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism..............................................................40
Literature: Watson chapter 5 (pp. 153-170): work organizations.....................................................41
The organizational principle of work structuring..........................................................................41
The nature of work organizations.................................................................................................41
Official and unofficial aspects of organizations.............................................................................42
Organizational structures and cultures.........................................................................................42
Official structure and culture: basic organizational design principles...........................................43
2
, Literature: Mintzberg; organization design: fashion or fit?..............................................................45
Deriving the configurations..........................................................................................................45
Simple structure...........................................................................................................................48
Machine bureaucracy...................................................................................................................49
Professional bureaucracy..............................................................................................................49
Divisionalized form.......................................................................................................................50
Adhocracy.....................................................................................................................................50
Configurations as a diagnostic tool...............................................................................................51
Are the internal elements consistent?..........................................................................................51
Are the external controls functional?...........................................................................................51
Is there a part that does not fit?...................................................................................................51
Is the right structure in the wrong situation?...............................................................................51
Fit over fashion.............................................................................................................................51
Literature: Burns and Stalker; mechanistic and organic systems......................................................51
Week 3.................................................................................................................................................53
Lecture 5: occupations & professionalism (Luuk Mandemakers).....................................................53
Literature: Freidson; labour markets and careers............................................................................55
Distinguishing labour markets......................................................................................................55
Careers in the free labour market................................................................................................55
Careers in the bureaucratic labour market...................................................................................56
The occupationally controlled labour market...............................................................................56
Variations in career-line................................................................................................................57
Labour market shelters.................................................................................................................57
Credentialism and labour market signals......................................................................................57
Credentials and labour market signals..........................................................................................58
Professionalism and schooling......................................................................................................58
Literature: Watson chapter 7 (pp. 204-213); the occupational and social organization of work......58
The occupational principle of work structuring............................................................................58
Occupational structure, class, status and inequality.....................................................................59
Occupations in a changing class structure....................................................................................60
Labour market segmentation and non-standard employment.....................................................60
Week 4.................................................................................................................................................61
Lecture 6: organizational culture......................................................................................................61
Literature: Hatch and Schultz; the dynamics of organizational identity...........................................63
Defining organizational identity....................................................................................................63
Organizational identity processes and their dynamics.................................................................65
3
Sociology of
Organizations
Week 1-8
Sociology
2020-2021
,Index
Week 1...................................................................................................................................................6
Lecture 1: Introduction & theoretical strands 1..................................................................................6
(1) Managerial-psychologistic strand..............................................................................................6
(2) Durkheim-Human-Relations......................................................................................................7
(3) Interactionist-negotiated order (Erving Goffman).....................................................................7
Lecture 2: Theoretical strands 2.........................................................................................................8
(4) Weber-social action – institutional............................................................................................8
(5) Marx: labour process.................................................................................................................9
(6) Post-modern & post-structuralist............................................................................................10
Literature: Watson chapter 2; analysing work and organization: scientific management, human
relations and negotiated orders.......................................................................................................11
Strands of thought and key theoretical perspectives in the sociology of work and organization.11
The managerial-psychologistic strand..........................................................................................11
The Durkheim-human-relations-systems strand..........................................................................14
The interactionist-negotiated-order strand..................................................................................15
Summary......................................................................................................................................17
Video 6.2 (Durkheim)........................................................................................................................17
Literature: Watson chapter 3; analysing work and organization: institutionalism, labour process
and discourse analysis......................................................................................................................17
The Weber-social-action-institutional strand...............................................................................17
The Marxian-labour-process strand..............................................................................................20
The post-structuralist strand and postmodernism.......................................................................21
Sociology, discourses and working lives.......................................................................................23
Summary......................................................................................................................................23
Literature: Taylor; the principles of scientific management.............................................................23
The effect of labour-saving devices..............................................................................................23
The development of soldiering.....................................................................................................24
Characteristics of the union workman..........................................................................................24
The development of scientific management................................................................................24
The workmen the chief beneficiaries............................................................................................24
What scientific management is.....................................................................................................24
Intelligent old-style management.................................................................................................24
What scientific management will do............................................................................................25
The selection of the workman......................................................................................................25
1
, Bringing together the science and the man..................................................................................25
The principle of the division of work............................................................................................25
The proof of the theory................................................................................................................25
The science of shovelling..............................................................................................................25
Teaching the men.........................................................................................................................25
Does scientific management pay?................................................................................................26
The discovery of high speed steel.................................................................................................26
The effect on the workmen..........................................................................................................26
Video 5.1 The unexpected force of social thought (Marx)................................................................26
Video 5.2 Economic chains of interdependency...............................................................................26
Video 5.3 Homo faber.......................................................................................................................27
Video 5.4 Alienation.........................................................................................................................27
Video 5.5 Class struggle....................................................................................................................27
Video 5.6 Caught in the capitalist system.........................................................................................28
Video 5.7 Class consciousness..........................................................................................................28
Video 5.8 Marx’s predictions............................................................................................................28
Week 2.................................................................................................................................................29
Lecture 3: a history of work and organizations.................................................................................29
Lecture 4: organizational structure...................................................................................................33
Literature: Watson chapter 4 (pp. 91-94); work, organization and globalization.............................36
The nature of modern societies....................................................................................................36
Literature: Smith chapter 1, book I; of the division of labour...........................................................37
Literature: Weber chapter VIII; bureaucracy....................................................................................38
Characteristics of bureaucracy.....................................................................................................38
The position of the official............................................................................................................38
Video 2.2 The invisible hand (Smith)................................................................................................39
Video 2.3 The division of labour.......................................................................................................39
Video 7.6 The three ideal types of authority (Weber)......................................................................40
Video 7.7 Rationalization..................................................................................................................40
Video 7.8 The protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism..............................................................40
Literature: Watson chapter 5 (pp. 153-170): work organizations.....................................................41
The organizational principle of work structuring..........................................................................41
The nature of work organizations.................................................................................................41
Official and unofficial aspects of organizations.............................................................................42
Organizational structures and cultures.........................................................................................42
Official structure and culture: basic organizational design principles...........................................43
2
, Literature: Mintzberg; organization design: fashion or fit?..............................................................45
Deriving the configurations..........................................................................................................45
Simple structure...........................................................................................................................48
Machine bureaucracy...................................................................................................................49
Professional bureaucracy..............................................................................................................49
Divisionalized form.......................................................................................................................50
Adhocracy.....................................................................................................................................50
Configurations as a diagnostic tool...............................................................................................51
Are the internal elements consistent?..........................................................................................51
Are the external controls functional?...........................................................................................51
Is there a part that does not fit?...................................................................................................51
Is the right structure in the wrong situation?...............................................................................51
Fit over fashion.............................................................................................................................51
Literature: Burns and Stalker; mechanistic and organic systems......................................................51
Week 3.................................................................................................................................................53
Lecture 5: occupations & professionalism (Luuk Mandemakers).....................................................53
Literature: Freidson; labour markets and careers............................................................................55
Distinguishing labour markets......................................................................................................55
Careers in the free labour market................................................................................................55
Careers in the bureaucratic labour market...................................................................................56
The occupationally controlled labour market...............................................................................56
Variations in career-line................................................................................................................57
Labour market shelters.................................................................................................................57
Credentialism and labour market signals......................................................................................57
Credentials and labour market signals..........................................................................................58
Professionalism and schooling......................................................................................................58
Literature: Watson chapter 7 (pp. 204-213); the occupational and social organization of work......58
The occupational principle of work structuring............................................................................58
Occupational structure, class, status and inequality.....................................................................59
Occupations in a changing class structure....................................................................................60
Labour market segmentation and non-standard employment.....................................................60
Week 4.................................................................................................................................................61
Lecture 6: organizational culture......................................................................................................61
Literature: Hatch and Schultz; the dynamics of organizational identity...........................................63
Defining organizational identity....................................................................................................63
Organizational identity processes and their dynamics.................................................................65
3
