Organization & Society Colleges
College 0 - introduction
Growing economic power of large firms
Organization in our life: health, spirituality, education, work, leisure safety, consumption,
rights & legislation
Aims of this course:
- gain insight into social processes in organizations which impact society
- Key outcomes:
- persistence: some are good, functional. Some are not beneficial and not
serving society such as corruption
- change: protests, contesting, organizing (learning)
- embeddedness: social relations
- and inequality : who gets access to resources
Organizations are diverse
Multiple degrees of socialization, different sizes, different goals . Temporary vs long term.
Legal vs illegal
How to do define organizations?
● Purposeful collective of people
○ Common goal > brings members together
○ Collaboration between members (want we kunnen de goals niet zelf bereiken)
○ (Relatively) continuous existence
● Has internal structure (formal and informal)
○ people have certain roles in these collaboration, certain rules
○ Formal and informal exist at the same time > switchen van tijd, taken doen die
niet onder je contract vallen
● Has external boundaries (sometimes difficult to detect)
○ Distinguish itself from environment > can be responsible for certain activities
or not.
○ Distinguish members and non-members
■ Illegal organizations don't want their boundaries to be seen -> so not
visible for outsiders
● (Ownership)
Organizations are both sites and drivers of action - organizations as sites/contexts
,Context is very important > je ervaart je werk heel anders als je thuis werkt ten opzichte van
als je op kantoor werkt , meetings over zoom ipv met elkaar in 1 ruimte .
Example: organizational activisme/boycotts > group of people can act collectively , outcomes
are important for society , can impact politics, lives of employees
Organizations whos changes can impact society
Organizations as a context is macro
Organization as actor is micro
Example: gender inequality in wages
We see relations between phenomena but we dont know how they come about
We focus on social mechanisms!
= a constellation of actors and activities that regularly bring about a particular outcome
Explanations: to identify the actors, activities and regulations that jointly produce the
outcome to be explained
,Social mechanism approach: identifying actors, activities and relations
Alternative mechanisms are possible: different implications!
Some processes are very difficult to change, but knowing about them and understanding
them can help with making accurate policies
READING
● Highlight important ideas
● Find examples, links to lecture, other readings
● Mark parts of the text you don’t understand
● Indicate your opinion (agree/disagree)
, Lecture 1 - persistence
The tale of two (types of ) rowing clubs
Persisting rituals despite controversy (aanhouden)
Gaat over studentenverenigingen
Where do we observe persistence?
- organizational collectives > healthcare
- Organizations > teachers jadajada
- Organizational building blocks > jobs and occupations > how they do it remains the
same
- Individuals > tradities blijven
The phenoenon (and theory) of inprinting
Senstitive period, we have certain attributes, learn things etc. The environment around us in
that period is very important, because it impacts our identity
> over time environment changes
Imprinting is generally defined as a process whereby, during a brief period of susceptibility, a
focal entity or actor (such as an industry, organization, or an individual) develops characteristics
that reflect prominent features of the environment, and these characteristics continue to persist
despite significant environmental changes in subsequent periods
Sensitive period :
- temporally restricted
- Focal entity sescetible to environment influences
Organisation:
- foundation
- Organizational transitions (eg merger, changing ownership, new leadership)
Individual :
- rol transitions (new job/ new study)
Individual level : role transitions
Individual / professional socialization > experience of uncertainty
College 0 - introduction
Growing economic power of large firms
Organization in our life: health, spirituality, education, work, leisure safety, consumption,
rights & legislation
Aims of this course:
- gain insight into social processes in organizations which impact society
- Key outcomes:
- persistence: some are good, functional. Some are not beneficial and not
serving society such as corruption
- change: protests, contesting, organizing (learning)
- embeddedness: social relations
- and inequality : who gets access to resources
Organizations are diverse
Multiple degrees of socialization, different sizes, different goals . Temporary vs long term.
Legal vs illegal
How to do define organizations?
● Purposeful collective of people
○ Common goal > brings members together
○ Collaboration between members (want we kunnen de goals niet zelf bereiken)
○ (Relatively) continuous existence
● Has internal structure (formal and informal)
○ people have certain roles in these collaboration, certain rules
○ Formal and informal exist at the same time > switchen van tijd, taken doen die
niet onder je contract vallen
● Has external boundaries (sometimes difficult to detect)
○ Distinguish itself from environment > can be responsible for certain activities
or not.
○ Distinguish members and non-members
■ Illegal organizations don't want their boundaries to be seen -> so not
visible for outsiders
● (Ownership)
Organizations are both sites and drivers of action - organizations as sites/contexts
,Context is very important > je ervaart je werk heel anders als je thuis werkt ten opzichte van
als je op kantoor werkt , meetings over zoom ipv met elkaar in 1 ruimte .
Example: organizational activisme/boycotts > group of people can act collectively , outcomes
are important for society , can impact politics, lives of employees
Organizations whos changes can impact society
Organizations as a context is macro
Organization as actor is micro
Example: gender inequality in wages
We see relations between phenomena but we dont know how they come about
We focus on social mechanisms!
= a constellation of actors and activities that regularly bring about a particular outcome
Explanations: to identify the actors, activities and regulations that jointly produce the
outcome to be explained
,Social mechanism approach: identifying actors, activities and relations
Alternative mechanisms are possible: different implications!
Some processes are very difficult to change, but knowing about them and understanding
them can help with making accurate policies
READING
● Highlight important ideas
● Find examples, links to lecture, other readings
● Mark parts of the text you don’t understand
● Indicate your opinion (agree/disagree)
, Lecture 1 - persistence
The tale of two (types of ) rowing clubs
Persisting rituals despite controversy (aanhouden)
Gaat over studentenverenigingen
Where do we observe persistence?
- organizational collectives > healthcare
- Organizations > teachers jadajada
- Organizational building blocks > jobs and occupations > how they do it remains the
same
- Individuals > tradities blijven
The phenoenon (and theory) of inprinting
Senstitive period, we have certain attributes, learn things etc. The environment around us in
that period is very important, because it impacts our identity
> over time environment changes
Imprinting is generally defined as a process whereby, during a brief period of susceptibility, a
focal entity or actor (such as an industry, organization, or an individual) develops characteristics
that reflect prominent features of the environment, and these characteristics continue to persist
despite significant environmental changes in subsequent periods
Sensitive period :
- temporally restricted
- Focal entity sescetible to environment influences
Organisation:
- foundation
- Organizational transitions (eg merger, changing ownership, new leadership)
Individual :
- rol transitions (new job/ new study)
Individual level : role transitions
Individual / professional socialization > experience of uncertainty
