Chapter 5: Groups, Networks and

Organizations Social groups form the building

blocks for society and for most social interaction.

The sociologist Georg Simmel argued that the key element in determining the form of social relations in a group is the size of the group.

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Social Groups

DyadDyad is the most intimate form of social life because the two members are mutually dependent on each other – if one member leaves the group, the group ceases to exist.

Social Groups ~ The Triad

When a third person joins a dyad, that person can fill the role of: mediatormediator – the conflict resolver. tertius gaudens tertius gaudens — the person who profits from

disagreement from the others. divide et impera divide et impera (“divide and conquer”) — the

individual who purposefully breaks up the other two.

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Social Groups As group size increases, the number of

possible relationships increase — in a group of three, three possible relationships exist, but in a group of four, six possible relationships exist.

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Social GroupsGeorg Simmel C. H. Cooley

Small Groups Primary Groups

Parties Secondary Groups

Large Groups Other Group Types — in-groups, out-groups, reference groups

Sociologists call any group that individuals use as a standard for evaluating themselves and their own behavior a reference group.

Poll: What is the total number of contacts you...

The Power of Social Groups

The Asch Test The Asch Test is an experiment developed in the 1940s that shows how much people are influenced by the actions or norms of a group.

From Groups to Networks

A social network social network is a set of relations — a set of dyads — held together by ties between individuals.

A tietie is a set of stories that explains our relationship to the other members of our network, while a narrativenarrative is

the sum of the stories contained in a series of ties.10

Interview, Duncan Watts

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Duncan Watts describes his research on the small world phenomenon.

From Groups to Networks

From Groups to Networks

EmbeddednessEmbeddedness refers to the degree to which ties are reinforced through

indirect paths within a social network.

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Social CapitalSocial Capital‘Whereas physical capital refers to physical objects and human

capital refers to the properties of individuals, social capital refers social capital refers to connections among individuals to connections among individuals – social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them.”

~ Robert Putnam

From Groups to Networks

Social Capital The information, knowledge of people or ideas, and connections

that help individuals enter preexisting networks or gain power in them.

High amounts of social capital in a community generally means that the community is tightly knit and can come together to face

challenges and make improvements. 14

From Groups to Networks

The Strength of Weak The Strength of Weak TiesTies A structural hole is a gap between network clusters (or

even between two people) that would benefit from having the gap closed.

Six Degrees of Separation

Class Exercise on Social Networks

Structural Holes on the Net

diminishing the power of the

middle manA Personal Account

Six Degrees of Separation

Urban legend?

Microsoft proves you ARE just six degrees of separation from anyone in the world

Social CapitalSocial Capital

OrganizationsAn organizationorganization is any social network that is defined by a common

purpose and has a boundary between its membership and the rest of the social world.

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Organizational culture Organizational culture refers to the shared beliefs and behaviors within a social group.

Organizational structureOrganizational structure refers to the ways in which power and authority are distributed within an organization.

Informal Formal

Three Sociological Perspectives

Groups and Social StructureConflict Conflict

Social structure are exploitive.

Groups and institutions exists for the protection of the elite.

There is conflict over wealth, power and status.

Functionalist Functionalist

Social structures are legitimate and acceptable.

The structure itself creates consensus.

Social structures are stable and often bureaucratic.

Symbolic InteractionSymbolic Interaction

•Social interactions exists only in the minds of individuals and small groups. It is subjective, voluntary and constantly recreated.

•Social structure is based on small groups and individuals to create consensus.