Behaviors that are determinant for the unit functioning

In fact, the effective unit functioning depends on the proper and efficient behavior of unit members. To put it more precisely, the unit functioning needs the effective redistribution of functions to maximize its performance. In this regard, Mrs. Jackson has constructed the strict hierarchy, with her at the top position. At the same time, such organizational structure of the unit turns out to be one-sided, when Mrs. Jackson takes decisions with unit members having to obey her without any dispute at all. Such system is oppressive, if not to say repressive. Moreover, such system does not match the concept of an efficient unit functioning because the efficient unit functioning is possible only on the condition of the close interaction between all unit members. Subordinates of Mrs. Jackson should take part in the decision making process.

Furthermore, unit members are professionals, who are responsible for their job and functions, which they perform. Therefore, they should all stand on the equal ground that means that there should be no room for favoritism Mrs. Jackson is currently inclined to. Such policy evokes conflicts within the unit and unhealthy competition between unit members.

In addition, the efficient unit functioning is possible when all unit members have balanced work hours. This means that each unit member should have convenient schedule that allows each unit member to maximize his/her performance. At the moment, the unit run by Mrs. Jackson faces the problem of the poor scheduling, when some employees work in inconvenient shifts and hours that is apparently tiresome for them. As a result, they cannot perform at their best that eventually leads to the overall deterioration of the unit performance.

Behaviors that contribute to the optimal team functioning

In fact, the efficient team unit is possible, when the manager, i.e. Mrs. Jackson creates the ambiance where the team work becomes efficient. The unit should work as a team. Otherwise, its efficient performance will hardly be possible. At this point, the optimal team functioning involves the efficient communication between the manager and subordinates. The efficient communication involves the principle of dialogue between the manager and her subordinates. Instead, the current teamwork in Mrs. Jackson’s unit is grounded on the principle of monologue. In other words, the communication within the team is one-sided that leads to the growing resistance of employees to the manager since the manager sets rules and leaves employees with no room for autonomy and independent actions or decisions. They turn out to be a sort of puppets in hands of Mrs. Jackson as a puppeteer.

Furthermore, the optimal team work involves the job satisfaction of each team member and team members’ satisfaction with their position in the team. Therefore, there should be no favorites among team members. Instead, Mrs. Jackson should consider the fair reward and stimulation of each employee working within her unit.

Specific actions for the supervisor/manager to employ with Mrs. Jackson

The supervisor should undertake immediate actions to improve Mrs. Jackson’s work and management style. First, the supervisor should clearly explain Mrs. Jackson that her management style is unacceptable for the organization, where she works (Scott, 2007). Second, the supervisor should grant Mrs. Jackson with key principles, which she should follow in the course of her work with her subordinates. Third, the supervisor should ban Mrs. Jackson offensive references in relation to her subordinates publicly as well as privately. Otherwise, the organization may face a risk of lawsuits and Mrs. Jackson should be aware that she would be the one, who would respond for these lawsuits. Finally, the supervisor should grant subordinates of Mrs. Jackson to file reports on her and each report should be considered carefully along with Mrs. Jackson (Notorantonio, 2006). In case of the excessive number of reports with complaints, Mrs. Jackson should be transferred to a lower position.

Observations that should be used to monitor Mrs. Jackson’s performance

The observation to monitor Mrs. Jackson’s performance should involve the system of reporting from the part of her subordinates and regular auditing, which involves the analysis of the reports by Mrs. Jackson’s supervisor. In addition, Mrs. Jackson should work with the assistant appointed by her supervisor to control and to monitor her behavior. The assistant will report regularly to assess her behavior.

References:

Notorantonio, R. (2006).  Going Once, Going Twice… Health Management Technology 27 (2), 30.

Scott, Y. (2007) Competence-based assessment systems: Encouragement toward a more holistic approach. Proceedings of the Northeast Business and Economics Association. 77-81.

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It is easy to break some social norms, but since we are living inside the society we need to respect some reasonable norms and rules of it. Nevertheless, there are many different norms that everybody can break from time to time I am not an ideal person and it can be said that I am among those numerous people who break some social norms from time to time. For the best understanding of the topic about social norms and the process of their violations I decided to explore my own feelings and reactions of people around me during the breaking of the social norm. The social norm of my choice is to give a seat in a bus. This is a kind of the social norms of explicit and injunctive character, and it is normal in our society to let an elder person to have a seat in a public conveyance instead of one or other person.

Observing my experiment with different details it is important to mention that I was sitting in the bus, when I saw an elder woman entered it at the next bus stop. I knew that the woman and other people around me expect me to let her have the seat. It is a rule of the social group I belong to. I felt tired and I decided to keep sitting on my place. I saw the reaction of people around me. Sure they did not tell me that I should stand up and let the woman sit, nevertheless, I saw that many of passengers were looking at me. They were waiting for my reaction, while in some minutes other person stood up and let the woman sit. During the journey I was giving myself different reasons why I did not let that woman have a seat. First of all, I paid for the seat and I had a right to keep it. Secondly, I felt tired after working day. And finally, I did not make the woman to enter the bus where there were no free seats. Also I was thinking that it was not just my duty and there were many different men in the bus.

I have violated this norm with a seat twice, but in different buses and among different people. In the first case there were young people around me and all of them were busy by their own thoughts and deeds, thus, nobody even didn’t pay a big attention to the fact that I didn’t let an elder woman to have a sit, they were waiting for my actions. I felt myself not very pleasant in this case, and was even surprised that others around me try not to pay attention to the fact that the elder person is standing in the bus. In the next time I was surrounded by elder people and one old lady even passed a remark about my bad education and absence of respect to the elder person.

Analyzing my violation of the same norm, I found that the reaction of people were different because both violations had the same sense, but they were different in their social context. In the first case young people try to ignore the situation, while in the second time old people try to educate me and show that my actions were wrong and I need to do something to change them.

Being honest, I felt myself bad during the process of social norm violations. It had a place because I am a well educated person and always try to be polite and follow social norms in respect to others. As any other person I can find many justifications for own actions, as in the case with the elder woman described in this paper, but it doesn’t mean that I will feel myself good in such situations. I don’t like to be a deviant and try to follow social norms prescribed by the society.

Thus, taking into account everything presented in the paper, it is important to mention that social norm comes into play whenever there is a typical situation contemplated as a condition of its entry into the regulatory process. It should be noted that social norms are always defined in the content, but by the typical way, as a general model of behavior. Social norms are freedoms of the individual measures that establish the limits of the expansion of social, behavioral activity, ways to satisfy the interests and needs. It is obvious that some degree of insubordination to social norms exists in every society and in any group, but social norms, as a normative expression of social need, are always required to have prescriptive character in one or another way.

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In fact, sociology is virtually unthinkable without involvement of imagination. At the same time, imagination cannot be dominant in sociology but, as C. Wright Mills insists, imagination should back up sociological researches to help to shape sociological concepts and to make discoveries important for sociology (Mills, 2000). In such a context, C. Wright Mills develops the concept of sociological imagination. Sociological imagination is the application of imaginative thinking to sociological theory and issues to answer sociological questions. Sociological imagination is a type of insight that sociologists can get through using their imagination in relation to issues related to sociology.

Ascribed status is the social status that is attributed to an individual a priori but an individual may not hold the social standing or meet standards attributed to his or her presumable social status. In fact, the ascribed status is very important because it gives insight toward the social status of an individual. Achieved status is the status that an individual achieves in the course of his or her life through socially significant actions, such as career progress or participation in public organizations or movements, and so on. In fact, ascribed is closely intertwined with achieved status. Ascribed status can affect consistently the achieved status (Swedberg, 1999). For instance, if ascribed status of an individual is high, then the individual strives to achieve the ascribed social status. Or, on the contrary, if ascribed social status is low, an individual may face substantial difficulties to achieve a higher social status. In such a way, an individual’s achieved status tends to match the ascribed status.

Conflict theories explain crime by social inequality, which forces oppressed people to rebel against existing social norms and commit crimes to reach a better condition of living (Paugam, 1998). Often standards of living imposed on individuals by the society fail to correspond to their real life and they commit crimes to achieve standards and goals that the society imposes on them or that the society views as ideal but that are not attainable for individuals committing crimes (Murphy, 1988). Social relations are determined by conflicts between different social groups and conflict theories justify the tension that exists in the society by contradictions and conflicts that exist between different social groups.

Max Weber explained the emergence of capitalism in protestant countries by the domination of the ideology of pursuing wealth in protestant countries, whereas Roman Catholic countries viewed pursuing wealth as unnecessary and, more important, unworthy of a true Christian (Weber, 1978). In such a way, protestants were motivated to accumulate wealth, which is the major driver of capitalism, whereas Roman Catholic Church discouraged the pursuit of wealth that slowed down the emergence of capitalism in Roman Catholic countries.

Thus, sociology may have different theoretical grounds but sociology needs the creative approach from the part of sociologist, who should involve their imagination to study sociological issues and to make new discoveries in the field of sociology.

References:

Mills, K. (2000). C. Wright Mills: Letters and Autobiographical Writings, University of California Press.
Murphy, R. (1988). Social Closure: The Theory of Monopolization and Exclusion. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Paugam, S. (1998). “Poverty and Social Exclusion: a sociological view.” In The Future of European Welfare, edited by Martin Rhodes and Yves Meny, p. 41–62.
Swedberg, R. (Oct., 1999) “Max Weber as an Economist and as a Sociologist: Towards a Fuller Understanding of Weber’s View of Economics,” American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 58(4), pp. 561-582.
Weber, M. (1978). Economy and Society: An Interpretive Outline of Economics. Eds. Guenther Roth and Claus Wittich. Berkeley: University of California Press.

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