Page 201 - Sociology and You

U S I N G
Your Sociological Imagination
Most people assume that conflict should be avoided because it is dis- ruptive and interferes with group effectiveness. While this can be true, there are also social benefits associated with con- flict and disagreement. Willingness to tolerate (and even encourage) disagreement can pre- vent what sociologists call groupthink.
The Challenger space shuttle disaster is an excellent example of a group making a catastrophic decision because it conformed to the larger group commitment. The Challenger was launched from Kennedy Space Center on January 28, 1986. Just over a minute after the launch, the Challenger exploded, taking the lives of all seven astro- nauts on board.
Like the teams of all space missions, the Challenger team was composed of a number of specialists. Its engineers had earlier rec- ommended against takeoff because crucial parts had never been tested at a temperature as low as the temperature was on the morn- ing of the takeoff. As victims of groupthink do, NASA leaders screened out this opposi- tion by discounting the engineers’ ability to make the “right” decision. Except for the en- gineers, the decision “to go” was unanimous. By avoiding consideration of a dissenting view, the majority lost the shuttle passengers and harmed NASA’s long-term objectives. This chapter will look closely at behaviors of groups and organizations.
Sections
1. Primary and Secondary Groups
2. Other Groups and Networks
3. Types of Social Interaction
4. Formal Organizations
Learning Objectives
After reading this chapter, you will be able to
❖ define the concepts of group, social cate- gory, and social aggregate.
❖ list the major characteristics of primary and secondary groups.
❖ describe five types of social interaction. ❖ discuss the advantages and disadvantages
of bureaucracy.
❖ distinguish between formal and informal organizations.
❖ discuss the use of power within an orga- nization and demonstrate its importance with examples.
Chapter Overview
Visit the Sociology and You Web site at soc.glencoe.com and click on Chapter 6— Chapter Overviews to preview chapter information.
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