In sociology, a social organization is a pattern of relationships between and among individuals and groups. Characteristics can include sexual composition, spatiotemporal cohesion, leadership, structure, division of labor, communication systems, etc. Because of these characteristics, people can monitor their everyday work and involvement in other activities that are controlled forms of human interaction, such as affiliation, collective resources, substitutability of individuals and recorded control. These interactions come together to constitute common features in basic social units such as family, enterprises, clubs, states, etc.
Social organizations happen in everyday life. Many people belong to various social structures—institutional and informal. These include clubs, professional organizations and religious institutions. To have a sense of identity with the social organization, being closer to one another helps build a sense of community. While organizations link many like-minded people, it can also cause a separation with others not who have differences in thought. Social organizations are structured to where there is a hierarchical system.
Other interactions can also determine if the group stays together. A group must have a strong affiliation within itself. To be affiliated with an organization means having a connection and acceptance in that group, and it must know and recognize that you are a member. The organization gains power through the collective resources of these affiliations. Often affiliates have something invested in these resources that motivate them to continue to make the organization better. On the other hand, the organization must keep in mind the substitutability of these individuals. While the organization needs the affiliates and the resources to survive, it also must be able to replace leaving individuals to keep the organization going. Because of all these characteristics, it can often be difficult to be organized within the organization. This is where recorded control comes in, as writing things down makes them clearer and more organized. [Photo: AdobeStock, 6834428]