Structuralist school and organizations. max weber

Introduction

The Structuralist Current appeared in the late 1950s as a consequence of low productivity, since the scientific and human currents had taken productivity or personnel into account, but in isolation, and it is made up of a group of psychologists and sociologists who they are dedicated to studying human behavior.

It considers that there are four elements common to all companies: authority, communication, behavior structure, formalization structure; analyzing the conflicts that are generated by the contractions of the structure and the dysfunctionally, classifying them to facilitate their management.

The structuralist current aims to balance the resources of the company, paying attention to both its structure and human resources, addressing aspects such as the correspondence between formal and informal organization, between the objectives of the organization and personal objectives and between stimuli material and social.

It was necessary to cover the aspects that were considered by one and ignored by the other and vice versa, since I take into account the need to consider the organization as a large and complex social unit in which many social groups that share some of the objectives of the organization.

Structuralists analyzed social organization from a larger plane, encompassing all kinds of institutions.

Max Weber

Main contributions

German sociologist who deeply analyzed organizations from different points of view, studied aspects of bureaucracy, democracy, authority and behavior. His works: "Economy and Society" and "Protestant Ethics"

Contributions to the administration:

Their contributions were very important but were recognized 20 years later, among them we find:

Types of society: It makes a clear division of societies indicating that within them there will always be preferences. Types of authority: It considers that there are those who can exercise it and those who do not.

It classifies it into 3:

Legal: Which is established by law Charismatic: Which is determined by personal character Traditional: Determined by the status in question.

3. Characteristics of the bureaucracy:

It defines it as a system of offices that is characterized by delays or impediments and that in most cases is related to State activities. It determines that it can be improved if it complies with an ideal model of bureaucracy that has the following characteristics:

Maximum division of labor Hierarchy of authority Determination of rules Impartial administration Safety at work Clear differentiation of assets.

He believes that when an organization respects the ideal model of bureaucracy, efficiency can be improved by ensuring that a large number of people can adequately perform their work and that those who are used under certain systems are treated with great efficiency.

His studies were highly influential, but the biggest criticism made is that he always considered ideal business and personal situations, "but there is no ideal."

The objectives of the organization

The main objective of this school was to study the problems and difficulties that arise within an organization in order to get to the origin of the problem that allowed for greater vigilance and study, paying special attention to aspects of authority and communication since these aspects form part of common elements within all companies.

Organizations are social units that seek to achieve specific objectives: their raison d'être is to achieve those objectives.

When a goal comes true it is no longer the desired goal. In certain organizations the objectives are formally established by the vote of the shareholders, in some by the vote of the members, in others by a small group of suppliers and in others by an individual who owns the capital of the company and runs it.

The efficiency of an organization is measured to the extent that it achieves its objectives and competence is measured by the amount of resources used to manufacture a production unit.

There are organizations that from their beginnings conform to achieve more than one objective at the same time. For example, in the academic field, more organizations combine teaching and research.

Organizational objectives have several functions:

They establish guiding guidelines for the activity of the organization They constitute a source of legitimacy that justifies the activities of an organization and even its existence They serve as standards for members of an organization and outsiders to assess the success of the organization Serves as a unit of measure for the student who tries to verify and compare their productivity.

The establishment of the objectives of an organization is not necessarily rational since it consists of determining the relations of the organization with the society in general.

There are five categories of organizational objectives:

Society objectives: society in general. For example trying to maintain public order. They seek to satisfy the needs of society. Production objectives: Public that comes into contact with the organization. They are types of production according to the functions of the consumer.Objectives of the systems: way how the organization works: emphasis on profits, growth in the stability of the organization, etc.Objectives of the products: characteristics of the goods and services produced: emphasis on the quality or quantity of the product, the variety, the style, etc. Derived objectives: uses that the organization makes of the acquired power and that they use in political goals or community services, for example. This power is used regardless of product or system objectives.

The study of the objectives of the organizations allows to identify the relations between the organizations and the society in general that is in permanent change. In other words, the relationship between an organization and its environment.

Organizational changes can be caused by certain external or internal factors.

An organization does not pursue a single objective, as it needs to satisfy an enormous number of requirements imposed by the environment and by the internal organization of the participants.

Typology of organizations

No two organizations are alike. They have characteristics that allow them to be classified, allowing a comparative analysis of the organizations, individuality is sacrificed to obtain a number of generic arguments that allow comparison.

Structuralists developed typologies of organizations to classify them according to certain distinctive characteristics

Etzioni typologies

For him, organizations have the following characteristics:

Division of labor and allocation of power and responsibilities: It is planned to intensify the achievement of specific objectives. Power centers: continually re-examine the performance of the organization, if necessary reorganize its structure, to increase its efficiency Personnel replacement: people who have an unsatisfactory performance can be fired, staff can also be recombined through transfers and promotions.

In this respect they differ from natural social units such as family, ethnic groups, or community. The artificiality of organizations is a characteristic resulting from two factors: concern for performance and a tendency to be much more complex than natural units.

Organizations require a formally structured distribution of rewards and penalties for obedience to their rules and orders. From there derive the means of control that according to Etzioni are:

Physical control: it is based on the application of physical means or physical penalties or threats. Motivation is negative and is based on punishments, this is coercive power.Material control: application of material means and material rewards that are goods of services offered by symbols such as money or wages that allow the acquisition of goods and services. It is control based on interest, on the intended advantage and on economic and material incentives. Symbolic or normative control: they are normative symbols such as prestige and esteem and social symbols such as love and acceptance. It is the moral and ethical control par excellence, it is based on ideology, faith and belief, it is a normative power.

There are three types of interest or involvement of the participants of the organization:

Alienating: the individual is coerced to remain in the organization Calculator: the individual is interested to the extent that his efforts represent financial compensation or some advantage Moral: the individual attributes value to the mission of the organization and his work within it.

According to Etzioni, the organization is determined by the types of controls applied to the participants. Therefore, it presents the following typology of organizations:

Coercive organizations: They use force as the main means of control over the lower level participants. The involvement of its members is alienating in relation to the objectives of the organization, including concentration camps, prisons, penal institutions, etc. Utilitarian organizations: power is based on the control of economic incentives, workers of the lower level respond according to the benefits they hope to obtain, they include businesses and work corporations Regulatory organizations: they use moral control as an influence on workers, who have a high moral and motivational involvement.

These organizations are also called voluntary and are the churches, universities, hospitals, etc. Etzioni's typology takes little account of structure, technology and the external environment.

2. Typology of Blau and Scott

They present a typology of organizations based on the main beneficiary (cui bono principle), that is, based on who benefits from the organization. The benefits for the main part constitute the essence of the organization's existence.

According to Blau and Scott, there are four categories of participants that can benefit from a formal organization: members of the organization, the organization's owners, officers or shareholders, the organization's customers, the general public.

Four basic types of organizations correspond to these four categories of beneficiaries:

Mutual benefits association: the main beneficiary is the members of the organization, for example in unions, consortiums, etc. Commercial interest organizations: the owners or shareholders are the beneficiaries as in most private companies. of services: the group of clients is the main beneficiary, for example, hospitals, universities, schools, etc. State organizations: the beneficiary is the general public, for example: military, post, legal institutions, etc.

The strength of beneficiary power in organizations conditions their structure and objectives, according to Blau and Scott.

3. Udy Topology

He proposed multidimensional bases for the comparative analysis of organizations. Each company has its own social status, its management system and its technology that are necessary for organizational analysis. The Udy classification is an evolution of the People classification.

Udy established that organizations can be classified as follows:

Organizations oriented to economic production: main function is economic, here include production and distribution companies, products or services.Organizations oriented to political objectives: it has power objectives such as how to obtain and generate social support.Integrating organizations: it is related to conflict resolution, with the motivation to meet certain social expectations, such as the courts, the legal profession and certain types of hospitals. Values maintenance organizations (The established) its function is cultural, educational and expressive. Religious organizations and schools are the main exponents of this type of organization.

4. Three-dimensional typology of Pugh, Hickson and Hinings those three dimensions are:

1. Structuring of activities: consisting of three dimensions:

Specialization or division of labor: indicates the degree of division and division of labor. Standardization or patronization: indicates the degree of homogenization of positions and functions as well as routines and procedures. Formalization: indicates the degree of written codification of the standards, instructions, procedures and communications.

2. Concentration of authority: indicates the degree of concentration of authority at the highest hierarchical levels or in control units that are outside the organization.

3. Line control over work flow: indicates the degree of control exercised by line personnel versus control exercised through impersonal procedures.

Social relations within the organization

Structuralism through the theory of human relations expanded the concept of social groups to reach interactions in social organizations. Just as social groups interact with each other, so do organizations with one another. As humanity grew, organizations became necessary to meet social and human needs. Currently, secondary organizations are necessary to control the former.

These are about distributing resources in the best possible way. Efficiency is obtained when the organization allocates its resources to the alternative that will produce the best result.

Structuralist theory focuses on the study of organizations, mainly in their internal structure and in their interaction with other organizations, which they conceive as "social units (or human groups), intentionally built and rebuilt, in order to achieve objectives specific. “An organization is a social unit within which people establish stable relationships (not necessarily face to face) with each other, aimed at facilitating the achievement of a set of objectives or goals.

Structuralist theory characterizes the organizational man, that is, the man who plays roles in different organizations. The modern man, that is, the organizational man, needs to have the following personality characteristics to be successful:

Flexibility: facing the changes of modern life and the diversity of roles within the organization, which lead to the establishment of new relationships between organizations or not. Patience against frustrations: to avoid emotional wear caused by the conflict between organizational and individual needs Ability to defer rewards: and adapt to routine work and leave other types of professional activities. Permanent desire for achievement: to ensure compliance and cooperation with the rules, which provide rewards and social and material sanctions.

Social organizations are born from the need that man has to relate his behavior with the behaviors of others, in order to achieve his goals.

Structuralists view organization as a large and complex social unit made up of many social groups. Structuralist theory associated formal and informal relationships within and outside the organization. Here formal organization is the standard of organization determined by the administration: division of labor, rules and regulations, etc. Informal organization refers to the social relationships that develop spontaneously among workers. This is a balance between classical (formal) theory and human relations (informal) theory, since there are rational and non-rational elements of human behavior.

The organization and its relationship with the environment

Organizations live in a human, economic, political world, they exist in a context called environment that surrounds the organization. According to structuralists, the environment is formed by the other organizations that make up society.

It is everything that externally surrounds the organization. In other words, environment is everything that is beyond the frontier or limits of the organization. As the environment is very wide, vast and diffuse and complete, it is not possible to apprehend and understand it in its entirety. Consequently, it is necessary to segment it to study it better: General Environment and Specific Environment

General Environment:

It is the broadest medium that influences society, countries, organizations, companies, communities, etc. It affects administrative decisions. It is the broadest scenario in which all the economic, technological, social, legal, cultural, political, demographic and ecological phenomena that influence organizations occur.

The components of the general environment are:

Economic Conditions: this part defines how people and organizations in a community or country produce, and how they distribute and use various goods and services. Indicators: Inflation, development, gross domestic product, employment, unemployment

Technological Conditions: represents the part of the general environment that includes new approaches to the production of goods and services. They cover procedures or equipment. Includes research and development, and scientific advances

Social Conditions: These conditions describe the characteristics of the society in which the organization operates. Some important aspects of the social component are social values, trends in education, social institutions, and social standards of behavior.

Legal Conditions: they represent the part that contains the current legal codes. It covers the laws and regulations defined by society, as well as the predominant form of government.

Demographic Conditions: are the statistical characteristics of a population. It includes changes in the number of people and the distribution of income among the various segments of the population. Reflects the strategies of organizations.

Political Conditions: contains the elements related to government affairs. It includes the dominant political objectives, the political parties, the representations of the society, the attitudes of the local, regional and national governments regarding industries.

Cultural Conditions: these are related to the prevailing cultural values in society.

Ecological Conditions: they represent the general state of nature and the conditions of the physical and natural environment, as well as the concern of society for the environment.

Specific Environment

It is the closest and most immediate environment to each organization. Consequently, each organization has its particular work environment that constitutes the niche where it develops its operations where they obtain supplies and place their products. In this environment are the markets used (supplier market, financial market, labor market, etc.) and the markets served by the organization (customer markets)

The elements of the Specific Environment are:

Suppliers: Elements that provide inputs or supplies in the form of resources, energy, services and information to the organization. Suppliers offer resources, such as capital, raw materials, machinery and equipment, technology, knowledge, advertising.

Clients: Elements that buy or acquire products and services, that is, they absorb the organization's outputs and results. Customers can be called users, consumers, contributors, or even sponsors.

Competitors: These compete for the same entrances (suppliers) and the same exits (clients) of the organization. Competitors develop strategies not always expected or known, to gain space and dominance, generating uncertainty in the process of making decisions and actions. Knowing the competitors and knowing how to deal with them is a vital task for the organization.

Regulatory groups: These are those that include government entities and unions and business associations that impose controls on the organization.

Renate Mayntz

German sociologist who belongs to the structuralist school. His main work "Sociology of administration". His main contributions are: Structure of authority and typology of organizations.

This author considers that companies can be structured based on 3 ways:

Hierarchical structure: Mayntz maintains that in these organizations the head makes the decisions, directed directly towards their objectives. The head of an intermediate instance has delegated authority to make decisions on execution and mediate activities, but is subject to the instructions of the supreme management. The lower we descend, the more prevailing obedience over command. Democratic structure: The opposite type of structure is democratic. By its principles, decisions are made by the base, by the majority, who order a group of members elected by vote. Therefore, authority is delegated from the bottom up. Structured by technical authority: In these organizations people act based on their professional technical knowledge,the members have freedom of action due to their knowledge and their specialty in a given field and the management cannot set guidelines for action to be followed in the technical field, but they are governed by technical councils, academies, technical boards, specialty committees.

Communication structure:

Another important Mayntz analysis concerns communications and the way they are structured in organizations. The most important aspects of an organization lie in the structure of authority and communication, because the latter is the way of interacting, where the human element intervenes the most.

For Mayntz the company must pay special attention to communication because the achievement of the objectives depend largely on it and classifies it into two:

Informal: This type of communication refers to personal communications.

Formal: Labor relations

Structural dysfunctions and conflicts

Analyze dysfunctions due to role shock and expectations. He says that role is the complex of norms or social expectations that refer to the holder of a position. According to Mayntz, a source of conflict is precisely the mismatch between what the structure requires and what the occupants of the posts expect or believe to be their role and that of their subordinates. It indicates that the conflict exists when:

A member receives orders from several people.

The superior demands that the role of his subordinate be carried out with greater care and speed.

The subordinate believes that his role in the organization is different.

Role overload occurs, that is, roles are tailored to the member's ability, but it is too much work.

Formalization and bureaucratization

Mayntz argues that an organization is highly formalized when it is highly regulated and leaves little freedom of action for members. He adds that the same is true when responding to Weber's ideal model of bureaucracy. At the same time, it considers that regulation is a consequence of the growth of the organization, since as it grows it is necessary to define the competences, define the roles and delegate authority.

Amitai Etzioni

American sociologist who wrote the works: "Modern Organizations" and "Treaties on Organization." Among its main contributions are: The typology of organizations and the typology of behavior in organizations.

It considers that the company can be structured based on the specific needs of each organization. This author starts from the concept that organizations play a very important role in our lives.

1) Typology of organizations:

It defines them as units set up to achieve a specific purpose and classifies them into 4:

The coercive: In them the upper level has all the authority and the freedom of the individual is affected. Eg concentration camps, jail, mental hospitals, etc. Regulations: Offer reward for belonging to them. Eg professional associations and clubs. Utilities: Their sole objective is profit. Eg Industries and businesses. Mixed: They give us a benefit but they have a utility. Eg the banks.

2) Typology of behavior in organizations

It considers that three types of members or people work in it:

Alienador: You are obliged to belong to the organization. Eg military service. Calculator: Balances the benefits that you will obtain and the benefits that the company will obtain and based on this you decide if you want to belong to the company, if there is no balance; He rejects it. Moral: He gets involved in organizations because of moral aspects. Ex.

The ladies of charity.

This author considers that a company must have a series of objectives that it must achieve and based on this it must carry out its structure.