Social interaction among human beings is necessary to the transmission of culture and the survival of every society. This chapter examines the social behavior of groups, formal organizations, and voluntary associations.

1. When we find ourselves identifying closely with a group, it is probably a primary group. A secondary group is more formal and impersonal.

2. People tend to see the world in terms of in-groups and out-groups, a perception often fostered by the very groups to which they belong.

3. Reference groups set and enforce standards of conduct and serve as a source of comparison for people's evaluations of themselves and others.

4. Interactionist researchers have noted distinct and predictable processes in the functioning of small groups. The simplest group is a dyad, composed of two members. Triads and larger groups increase the ways of interacting and allow for coalitions to form.

5. As societies have become more complex, large formal organizations have become more powerful and pervasive.

6. Max Weber argued that in its ideal form, every bureaucracy has five basic characteristics: division of labor, hierarchical authority, written rules and regulations, impersonality, and employment based on technical qualifications.

7. Bureaucracy can be understood both as a process and as a matter of degree. Thus, an organization may be more or less bureaucratic than other organizations.

8. When leaders of an organization build up their power, the result can be oligarchy (rule by a few).

9. The informal structure of an organization can undermine and redefine official bureaucratic policies.

10. People join voluntary associations for a variety of purposes—for example, to share in joint activities or to get help with personal problems.

11. Organizational restructuring and new technologies have transformed the workplace through innovations such as collective decision making and telecommuting.

12. Labor unions are on the decline because of major shifts in the economy.