Various organizations in the modern world can have a significant impact on people and their lives. In the social and behavioral sciences, organizations are studied through such disciplines as organizational behavior and organizational theory (Champoux, 2016). Sociology significantly contributes to the formation of each of them. In particular, sociology of work that studies social relations in the workplace, influenced the knowledge base of organizational behavior. In turn, organizational theory seeks to understand organizations as systems and get ideas and theories about how social systems are built from sociology. There is a particular part of sociology dedicated to this area – the sociology of organizations.
The study of organizations from the sociology point of view began in the 1950s. At first, research was limited since sociologists observed the organizations only as a working environment. A little later, scientists noted their dualist nature, considering both the technical and social sides. The most significant influence on the development of theories about the sociology of organizations had the consideration of them as an open system. Researchers studied not only people and processes but also the impact of the environment. As a result, many theories arose: contingency theory, network theory, institutional theory, and several others (Scott, 2004). The expansion of knowledge and the study of various significant aspects, which was possible thanks to the logic of open systems, became the dominant trends of the second half of the twentieth century. New knowledge has given impetus to organizations’ changes – their boundaries have become more open, work strategies, management methods changed, and new ideas developed to study them.
An example of an organization I am a part of is a college and even individual classes. Almost everyone is part of the organization, which is possible while considering organizations following Champoux (2016), as the unification of two or more people acting together to achieve the goal. By visiting shops, cafes, or official agencies, I also influence organizations. In the future, at work, I will become part of a team and another unity.
References
Champoux, J. E. (2016). Organizational behavior: Integrating individuals, groups, and organizations (5th ed.). Taylor & Francis Group
Scott, W. (2004). Reflections on a half-century of organizational sociology.Annual Review of Sociology, 30, 1-21. Web.