Sociology of Organisations
02-02-2026 – Lecture 1, theoretical
strands 1, 2, 3
Lois Markusse – workshop teacher
Sociology of Organisations: the study of the
relationships which develop between human beings
as they organise themselves and are organised by others in work organisations,
and how these patterns influence and are influenced by the actions and
interactions of people and how they make sense of their lives and identities
“Organisations are authoritatively co-ordinated
human enterprises.”
Sociology: the scientific study of social phenomena
- Consider the influence of social contexts
- Study resulting collective human behaviour
Multilevel framework of
Colemans boat
Six strands of theory:
1. Managerial – psychologistic
2. Durkheim-human-relations
3. Interactionist-negotiated-order
4. Weber-social-action-institutional
5. Marxian-labour-process
6. Post-modern/post structuralist
You can look at an organisation from one strand but also put on another pair of
“glasses” and look at the case from a different point of view.
Managerial-psychologistic strand (an influential way of thinking, micro)
a) Scientific management (Taylorism)
Core question: how can we make the work more efficient?
Answer: decomposing the work to enhance efficiency
- Separate thinking (employer) from doing (employee)
- Deskill (simple tasks and complex control structures)
- Neo-classical economic perspective on human behaviour
- Incentive pay systems
- Man as homo calculus (economic animal), the harder you work the more
you get paid
1
, - Coleman’s boat is purely micro-level
Related to Taylorlism Fordism: Taylorism on techt
- Specialised machinery/ electrical tools (just for one purpose)
- If you pay more they will work more (workers are consumers as well),
doesn’t always work since the employees cannot afford the products they
make (f.e. cars)
- Interchangeable parts
- Mass productions
Mechanization takes command:
- Engineers took the lead in rationalizing industrial relations
- Standardization of work processes and the human element
- Manipulating human behaviour to maximize output/ efficiency
b) Psychological humanism (individualistic way of thinking):
- McGregor Theory X and Y, 1960
o Theory X, work is distasteful
o Theory Y, work is natural
- They both have different point of views of work
This way of thinking also connects to Maslow’s way of thinking
However, all the needs of the Maslow’s pyramid need to met, so they are not fully
hierarchical
Two-level theory of motivation
- Hygiene factor, basic needs that if not met they have a negative influence
on satisfaction but if they are there they don’t enhance satisfaction.
- Motivation factor (achievement, advancement, growth, recognition),
enhances satisfaction.
Connections:
- Focus strongly on the micro level
- Draw sharp distinctions between management and employees
2
, - Aim to manipulate employee behaviour
- Implicitly believe there is one best way of organizin
Durkheim-Human-Relations strand (macro)
a) The works of Durkheim (not an organisational sociologist per se)
- Emphasises the social system around individuals
- An autonomous and externally existing society
- Social underpinnings of cognition: norms, values and ways of doing
- (Over) emphasis on the macro level
b) Human relations school
After the pre-capitalist
phase, people started
specializing in their
work. After the pre-
industrial phase,
brought people
together to work.
- social division of
labour and technical
division of labour
Hawthorne effect = being observed effect?
- Critic: few respondents, different jobs, only women
Emphasis on:
- Informal relations (helps to increase productivity)
- Social cohesion
- Sentiments rather than reason
- System properties (interdependencies)
- As determinants of output
Comparing to managerial (strand 1):
- Draw sharp distinctions between management and employees
- Aim to manipulate worker/employee behaviour
- Believe (implicitly) in one best way of organizing, the way to get
- there just differs (economic, psychological or social incentives
Interactionist-negotiated-order strand (bridging micro and macro)
- What happens results from ongoing interactions between actions, leading
to an order.
o Individuals and society are mutually interdependent
o Combining psychology and sociology
o Less emphasis on rationality or sentiments, more on negotiations
o Organisational order emerges from a continual process of
adjustment
- Organisations and employees strive to preserve their identity
o Self-negotiations, Identity
3
02-02-2026 – Lecture 1, theoretical
strands 1, 2, 3
Lois Markusse – workshop teacher
Sociology of Organisations: the study of the
relationships which develop between human beings
as they organise themselves and are organised by others in work organisations,
and how these patterns influence and are influenced by the actions and
interactions of people and how they make sense of their lives and identities
“Organisations are authoritatively co-ordinated
human enterprises.”
Sociology: the scientific study of social phenomena
- Consider the influence of social contexts
- Study resulting collective human behaviour
Multilevel framework of
Colemans boat
Six strands of theory:
1. Managerial – psychologistic
2. Durkheim-human-relations
3. Interactionist-negotiated-order
4. Weber-social-action-institutional
5. Marxian-labour-process
6. Post-modern/post structuralist
You can look at an organisation from one strand but also put on another pair of
“glasses” and look at the case from a different point of view.
Managerial-psychologistic strand (an influential way of thinking, micro)
a) Scientific management (Taylorism)
Core question: how can we make the work more efficient?
Answer: decomposing the work to enhance efficiency
- Separate thinking (employer) from doing (employee)
- Deskill (simple tasks and complex control structures)
- Neo-classical economic perspective on human behaviour
- Incentive pay systems
- Man as homo calculus (economic animal), the harder you work the more
you get paid
1
, - Coleman’s boat is purely micro-level
Related to Taylorlism Fordism: Taylorism on techt
- Specialised machinery/ electrical tools (just for one purpose)
- If you pay more they will work more (workers are consumers as well),
doesn’t always work since the employees cannot afford the products they
make (f.e. cars)
- Interchangeable parts
- Mass productions
Mechanization takes command:
- Engineers took the lead in rationalizing industrial relations
- Standardization of work processes and the human element
- Manipulating human behaviour to maximize output/ efficiency
b) Psychological humanism (individualistic way of thinking):
- McGregor Theory X and Y, 1960
o Theory X, work is distasteful
o Theory Y, work is natural
- They both have different point of views of work
This way of thinking also connects to Maslow’s way of thinking
However, all the needs of the Maslow’s pyramid need to met, so they are not fully
hierarchical
Two-level theory of motivation
- Hygiene factor, basic needs that if not met they have a negative influence
on satisfaction but if they are there they don’t enhance satisfaction.
- Motivation factor (achievement, advancement, growth, recognition),
enhances satisfaction.
Connections:
- Focus strongly on the micro level
- Draw sharp distinctions between management and employees
2
, - Aim to manipulate employee behaviour
- Implicitly believe there is one best way of organizin
Durkheim-Human-Relations strand (macro)
a) The works of Durkheim (not an organisational sociologist per se)
- Emphasises the social system around individuals
- An autonomous and externally existing society
- Social underpinnings of cognition: norms, values and ways of doing
- (Over) emphasis on the macro level
b) Human relations school
After the pre-capitalist
phase, people started
specializing in their
work. After the pre-
industrial phase,
brought people
together to work.
- social division of
labour and technical
division of labour
Hawthorne effect = being observed effect?
- Critic: few respondents, different jobs, only women
Emphasis on:
- Informal relations (helps to increase productivity)
- Social cohesion
- Sentiments rather than reason
- System properties (interdependencies)
- As determinants of output
Comparing to managerial (strand 1):
- Draw sharp distinctions between management and employees
- Aim to manipulate worker/employee behaviour
- Believe (implicitly) in one best way of organizing, the way to get
- there just differs (economic, psychological or social incentives
Interactionist-negotiated-order strand (bridging micro and macro)
- What happens results from ongoing interactions between actions, leading
to an order.
o Individuals and society are mutually interdependent
o Combining psychology and sociology
o Less emphasis on rationality or sentiments, more on negotiations
o Organisational order emerges from a continual process of
adjustment
- Organisations and employees strive to preserve their identity
o Self-negotiations, Identity
3
