DEVIANT ACTS BY COMPLEX ORGANIZATIONS - DEVIANCE AND SOCIAL CONTROL AT THE ORGANIZATIONAL LEVEL OF ANALYSIS (FROM CRIMINOLOGY REVIEW YEARBOOK, VOLUME 1, 1979, BY SHELDON L MESSINGER AND EGON BITTNER - SEE NCJ-60767)

• NCJ Number: 60773
• Author(s): M D ERMANN; R J LUNDMAN
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 13 pages
• Corporate Author: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: REPRINTED FROM THE SOCIOLOGICAL QUARTERLY (WINTER 1978)

Annotation

THE NATURE OF ORGANIZATIONAL DEVIANCE IS DESCRIBED, AND ELEMENTS CENTRAL TO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ORGANIZATIONS MANDATED TO CONTROL ORGANIZATIONAL DEVIANCE ARE IDENTIFIED AND DISCUSSED.

Abstract

ORGANIZATIONAL DEVIANCE REFERS TO ACTIONS THAT INTERFERE WITH THE FLOW OF BENEFITS TO ACTORS CONSENSUALLY RECOGNIZED AS HAVING LEGITIMATE CLAIMS UPON AN ORGANIZATION. FOUR CONDITIONS ARE NECESSARY FOR THE OCCURRENCE OF ORGANIZATIONAL DEVIANCE: (1) AN ACTION MUST BE CONTRARY TO NORMS HELD BY ACTORS EXTERNAL TO THE SUBJECT ORGANIZATION, (2) THE ACTION MUST FIND SUPPORT IN THE NORMS OF A GIVEN LEVEL OR DIVISION OF THE ORGANIZATION, (3) THE ACTION MUST BE KNOWN TO AND SUPPORTED BY THE DOMINANT ADMINISTRATIVE COALITION OF THE ORGANIZATION, AND (4) NEW MEMBERS MUST BE SOCIALIZED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DEVIANT ACTIVITY. CONTROLLER ORGANIZATIONS ARE MANDATED TO PROTECT CERTAIN SOCIAL ACTORS FROM SPECIFIED DEVIANT ACTIONS BY GIVEN TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONS. CENTRAL TO AN ANALYSIS OF THE LABELING AND SANCTIONING OF ORGANIZATIONAL DEVIANCE BY CONTROLLER ORGANIZATIONS ARE THE FOLLOWING ELEMENTS. CONTROLLER ORGANIZATIONS WHICH RELY PRIMARILY UPON COMPLAINT SYSTEMS ARE NOT LIKELY TO BE AS EFFECTIVE AS ORGANIZATIONS WHICH SEEK OUT ORGANIZATIONAL DEVIANCE ON THEIR OWN. ONCE AN INSTANCE OF ORGANIZATIONAL DEVIANCE HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED, DELEGATION OF CONTROL POWER AND THE CONSEQUENT CREATION OF COUNTERVAILING FORCE ARE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN THE RETENTION OF POWER BY THE CONTROLLER. THE TIMING OF THE CONTROL MAY REDUCE LABELING AND SANCTIONING EFFECTIVENESS. THE CERTAINTY AND SEVERITY OF SANCTION RELATES TO EFFECTIVENESS. THE LEGITIMACY OF THE CONTROLLER ORGANIZATION, AS REFLECTED IN ITS CONTROL OF ITS DOMAIN, RELATES TO EFFECTIVENESS OF CONTROL. FINALLY, THE RELATIVE RESOURCE DEFICIENCIES OF CONTROLLED ORGANIZATIONS REDUCES THE POWER OF THE CONTROLLER. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)