Organization as a social system: concept, functions, development

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Organizations form a group of the oldest social structures on Earth. The root of this concept is the Latin word organize, which translates as "to do together, arrange, slender appearance." The article will focus on the concept of organization as a system, types of social organizations and other aspects of the issue.

General provisions

Organization can be viewed in terms of a process or phenomenon. Being a process, it is a set of actions that lead to the creation and further improvement of the relationship between the components of a single whole. The concept of an organization as a phenomenon involves the combination of elements for the implementation of certain goals or programs that operate on the basis of specific procedures and rules.

Organization as a social system is one of the most mysterious and interesting phenomena of life, about the same as the person himself. She's really not inferior to the individualin terms of complexity. That is why the many-sided attempts to introduce a very universal theory of organization and its sociology to date have not been successful both on the territory of the Russian Federation and abroad. The main reason for this is that the organization as a social system and the object of numerous studies in the field of science has simultaneously become the focus of attention in a number of areas. We are talking about economic theory, sociology, as well as administrative sciences, each of which, it is important to consider, reflected a different attitude towards such a complex phenomenon. So, to date, a unified understanding of the nature of the structure under study, its history and genesis has not been formed.

Historical aspect

Despite the fact that the phenomenon of organization as a socio-economic system exists for tens of millennia, its study and scientific understanding began only in the 19th century in connection with the emergence of social sciences. Already at the beginning of the 20th century, when management and organization theory appeared, the term in question began to be applied in a narrower sense, as a rule, in relation to firms (economic organizations), which to this day are good examples of “consciously established cooperation”. However, one way or another, they are endowed with an artificial origin.

Many social sciences are interested in organization as a socio-economic system. This includes economic and sociological directions, which determine the basic attitude to this object of study. Sociological sciences consider organizations as social institutions. Economic (socio-economic) - as systems or institutions. Somewhat later, due to the division and further separation of the social sciences, disagreements between them regarding the concept of organization as a social system and its essence intensified. All this has left a mark on the current state of organization theory, which is an intersectoral scientific direction. It is intended to develop a consensus view on the category of organizations. It is worth noting that the general theory of organization as a social system is based not only on the results of scientific research, but also on practical methods for improving and designing structures. A serious contribution to the solution of these issues was made by domestic scientists V. N. Vyatkin, V. N. Burkov, V. S. Dudchenko, V. N. Ivanov, V. A. Irikov and V. I. Patrushev.

The concept of organization as a system and social institution

Under organizational it is necessary to understand such systems, which are characterized by the function of management (purposeful, conscious activity) and in which people are the main elements. The concepts of organization, organizational system and social system are synonymous. All of them direct science and practice, first of all, to the search for patterns, as well as mechanisms for connecting completely different components into a single effective formation. The modern organizational system has all the key features and properties of complex systems. So, it is advisable to include the following items among the features of the system:

• Lots of ingredients.
• Unity of the main (strategic) goal for all elements.

A strong connection between the components, the unity of the elements and integrity.

• Hierarchy and structure
• Relative independence.
• A management system that is clearly defined.

The subsystem should be considered as a set of elements that reflect an autonomous share within the system. The main properties of the system are the following:

• The desire to preserve its structure, which is based mainly on the objective law of the organization as a social system - the law of self-preservation.
• The need for management. It should be noted that a person, society as a whole, an individual animal or herd also has a certain set of needs.
• The presence of a rather complex dependence on the characteristics of its subsystems and elements. Thus, a system may have specific features that are not inherent in its components, but these characteristics may not be.

Classification of systems. Social system

Each system is endowed with input, processing technology, end results and feedback. Under the main classification of systems, it is necessary to understand the division of each of them into the following subsystems: biological, technical and social. It is important to note that the latter is differentthe presence of a person acting as a subject, as well as an object of control by interconnected elements in the aggregate. A typical example of a social subsystem is a family, a production team, an informal organization, or even one person.

Social subsystems are far ahead of biological ones, judging by the variety of implemented functions. The set of decisions in the social type subsystem is characterized by a greater degree of dynamism. This can be explained by the rather high rate of change in public consciousness, as well as some nuances in its reactions to situations of the same type or the same. It should be borne in mind that the social subsystem may include biological and technical subsystems.

Social systems are natural and artificial, closed and open, partially or completely predictable, soft or hard. A system intended for an individual or in the totality of which a person is included is called a social system. In accordance with the goals set, it can have a political, economic, educational, legal or medical focus. The most common are socio-economic systems. In reality, social systems are implemented precisely in the form of organizations.

Social Organizations

Organization as an open social system realizes itself in the production of marketable products, services, knowledge and information. Any social organization unites social activities. Interactionof individuals through socialization forms certain prerequisites and conditions for improving industrial and social relations. So, in the theory of organization, it is customary to single out socio-political, socio-economic, socio-educational and other types of organizations.

Each of these types is determined by the priority of its own goals. So, the main goal of socio-economic organizations is profit; socio-cultural - achieving specific goals of an aesthetic plan, as well as making a profit, receding into the background; socio-educational - the assimilation of modern knowledge and, secondarily, making a profit.

Today, there are many definitions of organization as a form of social system. All of them reflect the complexity of this phenomenon. In addition, there are a large number of scientific disciplines that are engaged in its study. These are organization theory, organization sociology, organization economics, management, and so on.

Which concept of organization is paramount?

The concept of organization as an element of a social system involves many interpretations in sociology and economics. At the same time, the target (rationalistic) definition dominates, which consists in the fact that an organization is a rationally formed system that acts to achieve common goals. Organization in a general sense is considered as a set of ways to regulate and streamline the actions of individuals and social groups. In a narrow sense, it is a relatively autonomous part of society as a systemsocial organization. It should be added that it is focused on achieving predetermined goals, the implementation of which requires joint coordinated actions.

One of the difficulties in defining this concept is that the organization process is not a material, concrete entity, but at the same time it can be determined by a number of characteristics of a material or non-material plan. Any organization as a social management system has a property complex, material objects and other benefits. In addition, it has many social aspects that cannot be seen or touched, such as human relationships.

Features

Next, it is advisable to consider the functions of the organization as a social system:

• Social production. An organization is a group of people who are engaged in labor as the main type of activity. The main task of the organization is to meet public needs for a particular product.
• Socio-economic. The key task of the organization is to produce products in the right quantity to meet consumer demand. At the same time, the product must have a certain quality that meets the requirements of an industrially developed society.
• The economic function is aimed at making a profit through the sale of the product.
• Socio-technical. The activity of the category under study is not only in compliance with the rules, normstechnical process, as well as maintenance of equipment, but also in the development of new technologies and techniques, their design, reconstruction, modernization to achieve competitiveness in the world market and the level of world standards.
• Managerial. One of the tasks of the organization is to create conditions for the growth of labor productivity, the selection and further placement of both managerial and executive personnel, and the provision of an effective system for organizing the production process.

Additional features

Due to the proper development of the organization as a social system, in addition to the above functions, there are additional ones:

• Psychological and pedagogical. This function consists in creating a favorable socio-psychological atmosphere in the structure, providing assistance to new employees in the professional and social development of new employees, and forming a system for improving the professional skills of all personnel.
• Socio-cultural. In accordance with it, the organization is aimed at developing not only objects of mass consumption, but also those items that are of spiritual and material value for society as a system of social organization. Numerous cultural works, such as unique technologies and technical innovations, are currently created not by individuals, but by full-fledged public groups in the process of joint creative activity.
• Social and household. For uninterrupted, normal, and most importantly - cost-effective work, employees need to createfirms certain social conditions. Unfortunately, today, due to economic instability, not all structures are able to provide even the most necessary in this direction. Nevertheless, entrepreneurs and managers should not forget about the importance of this function.

What do different organizations have in common?

You need to know that all organizations have common elements:

• Social systems, in other words, people united in groups.
• Purposeful actions (members of the organization have an intention, purpose).
• Integrated activity (people working together).

Diverse relationships appear between individuals in an organization, which are built on different levels of sympathy, leadership and prestige. A significant part of these relations is standardized through norms, codes, rules. Nevertheless, many nuances of organizational relations today are not reflected in the regulatory documentation, either because of their novelty, or due to complexity, or because of inappropriateness.

Conclusion

So, we have fully analyzed the concept, functions, as well as the issue of the development of an organization as a social system. In conclusion, it is advisable to generalize the material and define organization as a continuous system of coordinated and differentiated types of social activity, which consists in the application, transformation and unification of a rather specific set of material, labor,intellectual, financial and natural resources into a unique "whole" that is able to solve emerging issues. The function of the "whole" is to satisfy the private needs of the individual through interaction with other systems, which include various types of social activities, as well as resources surrounding people. Also, the work of any organization is a complex of interconnected social, psychological, production and other functions, which we have analyzed in detail in the article. A clear performance by one or another public group of its own functionality is the key to the effectiveness of its activities, and, as a result, the success of the common cause.