2.2 Sociological perspectives
Sociology is concerned with the study of human society, its origins, how
it is organised and how people interact. The definition and boundaries
of the discipline are contested, and this is such a wide-ranging subject
that many sociologists specialise in the study of a particular area of social
life. As part of your studies, you may complete course 21 Principles of
sociology. The main ways in which sociology informs us about business
and management are to help explain:
• how people interact at work
• the effects of different organisational structures on people; sociology can
particularly contribute to our understanding of social relations within
the organisation, such as the interaction of employees, power relations
and social groupings
• the ways in which business and management have impacts on wider
society.
Sociologists view organisations as ‘social constructs’, i.e. they exist because
of the efforts of people and because people decide to recognise that they
exist. An organisation is seen as being made up of many different elements
working together and interacting. It is not viewed as an object that has
a solid outline. The sociological approach stresses the definition of an
organisation as a social entity and one that does not exist in isolation, but
is continually interacting with the environment.
The classical theories of sociology are concerned with understanding the
organisation of social life, change and significant institutions.
Max Weber (1864–1920) was one of the founders of modern sociology;
we have already read about him in Chapter 1. He studied government
organisations in Europe and helped us to understand how administrative
structures, hierarchies and authorities could improve the efficiency of
organisations.
Sociologists are also interested in the role that organisations play in
society. Interaction between organisations and the life of individuals and
groups in the wider society is a major concern. In particular, this means
understanding how changes within the wider society affect organisations.
This will be discussed further in Chapter 4 when we look at organisational
change.