GCOO

Archive for September, 2009

Status may be fixed and beyond the control of the individual (sex, skin color or ancestry) this is ascribed status. Position subject to control by Individuals are achieved status. The more open a society, the more important achieved status there will be. As individuals have multiple statuses so they have many roles appropriate to each status. In the case of the executive, he may be as concerned about his fulfillment of the role of a husband and a father insofar as it affects the state of their bank account.  Multiple roles may cause problems, in that an individual may not recognize what is called for in a new and different status. A new trainee in the bank may have some uneasy moments in the organization until he learns what it is that he must be on or off the job. Multiple roles can cause further problems arising from the inability of the individual to make a complete shift in behavior as a change in status occurs.

Role conflict is the condition when the changes in status and roles are disruptive. A shop foreman who is promoted to an executive position may have some difficulties when his former ways as foreman are no longer appropriate to his new position.

The coordination and control of the activities of the member of a society are achieved through systems of positions and roles. Thus an organization may be considered, as a system of roles. While the organization may be viewed as a subsystem, it is noteworthy to include other concepts about different aspects of organization to give a broader perspective of the individual’s interaction within the organization.