Social Organization (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what social organization is, its characteristics, types and examples. Also, what is political organization.

In sociology, social organization is set of relationships that exist between individuals in a society and/or the different social groups thereof. These relationships have the purpose of achieving a common goal and occur according to different cultural, political or even sexual patterns, depending on their historical context.

Instead, Social organizations are the different ways of institutionalizing or formalizing these relationships already mentioned, in such a way that they form human groups oriented in a particular way towards an objective.

In other words, social organization (in general) allows us to build specific social organizations (in particular). For example, companies are social organizations oriented towards the production of goods and services, typical of the contemporary capitalist world.

Social organization, in any case, varies enormously throughout the ages, and this translates into a continuous change in the social organizations that are formed every day.

The social organization It was a determining element in the evolution of our species by allowing the creation of highly structured human groups, with dynamics of cooperation, coordination and division of work. That is, in fact, an important distinction between humanity and other animal species, whose degrees of organization tend to be low and/or restricted to small groups of individuals.

On the other hand, throughout its history, humanity has developed a great capacity for social organization, which allows it to complete enormous tasks through joint and synergistic individual effort. In this way, the relationships within an organized group become interdependent on each other, weaving a network of aspirations and energies that the administration is responsible for channeling and directing.

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In general terms, social organizations are characterized by:

are human groups of different sizes within which there are determined, interdependent and hierarchical interpersonal relationships.
They are basically systems or patterns that are inserted in a larger system: human society, and that have a specific purpose a goal.
change over time that is, they are typical of a specific historical moment. Although some have lasted for a long time, such as the family, they have not done so in the same exact way or constituted in the same way.
can be of very variable type and complexity.

The relationships established between its individuals can be:

Formal and explicit, as in employment contracts.
Informal and implicit, such as order and hierarchy in the family.

political social organization types — Organizations with political objectives seek to change or preserve aspects of society.

In general terms, taking into account the way in which interpersonal relationships occur within them, we can distinguish the following types of social organizations:

Formal when their relationships are made official and ruled by a document that collects them and makes them public knowledge.
Informal when its internal dynamics are not included in any document nor have they been formally made official, but rather follow internal rules.

Furthermore, according to the mission that individuals pursue, we can talk about:

For profit when the synergy of its individuals pursues the generation of wealth.
For social purposes when the synergy of its individuals pursues the well-being of the majority of the population (especially those who are not part of the group).
For political purposes when the synergy of its individuals pursues organizational purposes, that is, seeks to change or preserve certain aspects of current society.
For recreational purposes when the synergy of its individuals simply pursues the entertainment of themselves or third parties.

Political organization

The political organization of a society is determined by the way in which it chooses to run its own State, that is, in the way collective decisions are made and power is exercised within a human community.

For example, political organization can be understood as the way in which institutions are arranged and power is distributed:

The absolutist monarchy hands it over to an all-powerful sovereign, whose successors inherit the office.
The republic distributes it among three public powers that supervise each other: the executive (the political command), the legislative (the making of laws) and the judicial (the exercise of justice). In this sense, we are talking about two very different political organizations.

It is also common to use the term “political organization” to refer to political parties, electoral coalitions and other forms of association with political or proselytizing purposes.