A FRAMEWORK FOR THE DESCRIPTION OF SOCIAL ORGINIZATIONS
Abstract
A proposed common starting point for describing social organizations, a symbolic form for expressing the primitive notions which apply to all social organizations, is presented. In the development of the symbolic form, certain descriptive units are related to the rudiments of what might constitute a basic vocabulary for describing social organizations. A numerical codification of the proposed descriptive framework is developed and applied to existing descriptions of organizations in two actual examples in the Navy Department and the Department of Defense. Much of this work seems to lack a common starting point and a standardized vocabulary. The assumption is made that if the study of social organization is to proceed in orderly fashion one starting point is to adopt a logical and standardized scheme for describing any such entity. The aim of this study is to describe organizations strictly from the outside, i.e., what can be observed. Thus there is no consideration of motive, ambition, loyalty or any other psychological forces. There is no attempt to proceed beyond very rudimentary aspects.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 13, 1962
- Accession Number
- AD0284294
Entities
People
- Ralph E. Mcshane
Organizations
- George Washington University