Using Sociological Theory To Understand Your Field Soc U1a1

Using Sociological Theory to Understand Your Field Soc u1a1

Dani Brownwalker (First M. Last)

School or Institution Name (University at Place or Town, State)

Sociology and its theories helps in the understanding of different social issues in human society. Sociological analysis of different issues helps in the understanding of why these issues occur and how they affect individuals and society as a group ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"a10g6ef35iu","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Giddens, 2001)","plainCitation":"(Giddens, 2001)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1058,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/WCTDTCF5"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/WCTDTCF5"],"itemData":{"id":1058,"type":"book","title":"Sociology","publisher":"Macmillan","ISBN":"0-333-30929-4","author":[{"family":"Giddens","given":"Anthony"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2001"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Giddens, 2001). Sociological imaginations my putting an issue in large social context. One of the most common issues that occur in any business organization is the interpersonal conflicts which decrease the productivity among the employees. The reasons for these interpersonal conflicts can be due to many reasons such as diversity, conflicts of personality and sometimes poor communications. A number of reasons contribute to the issue of interpersonal conflicts in an organization, and it decreases the overall efficiency of an organization.

An organization is a planned, coordinated and purposeful actions of human beings to compile a tangible product. To understand the issue of interpersonal conflicts in an organization the issue is examined with the help of a sociological lens. The application of sociological theories will elaborate the reason of occurrence of these conflicts at workplace and guides a way of looking at these conflicts. The functionalist theory supports that society us a system of interconnected parts which work together to promote harmony and social equilibrium in the society ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"a1q4d13g03m","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Crossman, n.d.)","plainCitation":"(Crossman, n.d.)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1054,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/29A4WPAH"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/29A4WPAH"],"itemData":{"id":1054,"type":"webpage","title":"Everything You Need to Know About Functionalist Theory","container-title":"ThoughtCo","abstract":"The functionalist perspective (functionalism) is a major theoretical perspective in sociology, focusing on the macro-level of social structure.","URL":"https://www.thoughtco.com/functionalist-perspective-3026625","author":[{"family":"Crossman","given":"Ashley"}]}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Crossman, n.d.). It emphasizes that every aspect of the society is interdependent on each other and serves a purpose. Looking at interpersonal conflicts in the organization from the functionalist perspectives shows that the conflicts arise for the natural reasons and serves a purpose. For instance, for the sake of resources, benefits, and recognition. According to this perspective, there is no need for sudden social reform. The arousal of conflicts will lead to better leadership and training regarding team management and diversity acceptance. Conflicts are dysfunctional because they are associated with negative outcomes in terms of lack of productivity, but they are functional as they lead to effective leadership or conflict management programs.

The conflict theory works in contrast with the functionalist perspective which views society as different groups struggling for power and resources ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"0o4cQRkq","properties":{"formattedCitation":"{\\rtf (\\uc0\\u8220{}The Three Main Sociological Perspectives.pdf,\\uc0\\u8221{} n.d.)}","plainCitation":"(“The Three Main Sociological Perspectives.pdf,” n.d.)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1056,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/WAMJS3B6"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/WAMJS3B6"],"itemData":{"id":1056,"type":"article","title":"The Three Main Sociological Perspectives.pdf","URL":"https://laulima.hawaii.edu/access/content/user/kfrench/sociology/The%20Three%20Main%20Sociological%20Perspectives.pdf","accessed":{"date-parts":[["2019",1,28]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (“The Three Main Sociological Perspectives.pdf,” n.d.). The conflict theory describes interpersonal conflicts in an organization as a result of a fight for resources and power. The struggle to get more resources and recognition in the workplace results in conflicts. The conflict between the opposite genders at the workplace is also the outcome of women fighting for the equal rights and competing with the opposite gender and man at the same time do not want to let power in her hands. This creates tension in the organization, and the outcome is conflicts among the organization personnel. From this perspective, conflict is a positive thing as it contributes to the struggle of subordinates to reach a dominating managerial position. This constant competition results in the functioning or organization as promotions and demotions.

The interactionist perspectives or symbolic interactionism views that the society is the outcome of everyday interactions. According to this perspective, people assign meaning to different symbols ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"a25mrsok2f2","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Denzin, 2016)","plainCitation":"(Denzin, 2016)"},"citationItems":[{"id":1057,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/6P8MEUGM"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/FGhKhGPG/items/6P8MEUGM"],"itemData":{"id":1057,"type":"article-journal","title":"Symbolic interactionism","container-title":"The international encyclopedia of communication theory and philosophy","page":"1-12","author":[{"family":"Denzin","given":"Norman K."}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2016"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Denzin, 2016). People act as per the subjective understanding of these symbols. In these conflicts among the members of the organization, there is no right or wrong it is just the difference of perspectives. The conflicts arise due to the interactions between the people. The issue of conflicts in an organization has the subjective nature. Employees learn to behave in a certain way as influenced by their interactions with other people and whose perceptions influence their own beliefs. To resolve the interpersonal conflicts this perspective is helpful in understanding why people decide to behave in a certain way which leads to conflict and advocate ways which reduce the interaction with other employees which may cause the trouble and conflicts at the workplace.

References

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Crossman, A. (n.d.). Everything You Need to Know About Functionalist Theory. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/functionalist-perspective-3026625

Denzin, N. K. (2016). Symbolic interactionism. The International Encyclopedia of Communication Theory and Philosophy, 1–12.

Giddens, A. (2001). Sociology. Macmillan.

The Three Main Sociological Perspectives.pdf. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://laulima.hawaii.edu/access/content/user/kfrench/sociology/The%20Three%20Main%20Sociological%20Perspectives.pdf