Sociology in the workplace

Sociology in Work Place

Alienation

In the work of Karl Marx alienation refers to the process of separation from the basic elements that make the individual human. The contact with the material and the conversion of the material into a product that sustains life is fundamental to being human. Alienation therefore involves any processes that distance man from his productive capacity and useful condition (Ollman 1976). Consequently, there are four areas of alienation as identified by Marx. These areas are as follows: firstly the alienation from our humanity or the awareness of what it means to be human. Next the alienation from the work process, followed by alienation from the product that is produced, and finally, the alienation from other workers in the work environment.

Work is alienating because of the nature of the work process in the capitalist system. Marx was primarily referring to the factory process where the worker does not own the product being produced and has no real connection to the product. Additionally, because of the competition in the job market for places and the isolation workers experience the worker is alienated from fellow workers. Work therefore separates the worker from his true productive capability. This separation is further supported by estrangement from others like him.

Alienation is an integral aspect of the capitalist system. The capitalist mode of production produces alienation. Since alienation is a requirement for the success of capitalism, a worker may be satisfied with his work but may still be experiencing alienation. The workers satisfaction is a reflection of the success of the ideological manipulation by the capitalist class. This satisfaction on the part of the worker may also be an indication of the workers lack of consciousness. A consciousness worker will understand and appreciate the alienating aspects of work and would resist it. Job satisfaction may therefore be a result of the blinded state of the worker rather than an actual connection with the productive capacity. Satisfaction can occur simultaneously with alienation.

Bureaucracy

The logical consequence of rational choice is the construction of bureaucratic systems. Bureaucratic systems are designed to optimize performance and are the most rational manner to organize labor for effective action. As populations increased more effective structures became necessary to manage the increasing differentiation. Bureaucratic structures become "iron cages" because as society becomes more rational thus more just and fair, there is also a greater sense of specialization and impersonalization. The individual is no longer a viable entity and emotion and sentiment are not part of the decision making process (Ritzer 2004). In highly bureaucratic organizations there is no room for "custom made" decision making. All parties are trapped in this unfeeling, uncaring set of rules and regulations that determine how and what decisions should be made. It is an iron cage because the system is cold, unfeeling and uncaring. The main question is; what does the policy say? Effectively we cease to be human and function in a mechanical, logical manner.

Bureaucracies are highly efficient because systems are they are goal oriented. Everything within the system is structured to achieving the outlined goals. Additionally, processes are streamlined so that deviations that would introduce inefficiency are removed from the system. The belief is that the existing ways of acting within the bureaucracy produce the greatest efficiency. In a bureaucracy decision making is made easy as there is always some policy to reference for most decisions. Workers are part of the systems integrated circuits in the great computer.