Tectonic Plates of the Social World

You may hear us say that sociology’s power to help organizations comes from both its methods and its frameworks. In a world that has largely embraced at least the idea of data analytics, many of our methods may already be familiar to you—such as survey, regression analysis, interviews and focus groups. Sociology brings to these tools a unique focus and a wealth of knowledge about the social world. This brings me to the other half of what we offer: sociological frameworks.

Organizational Frameworks

We can take up a variety of unique frameworks or lenses when we look at an organization, and each will reveal new constraints and motivations, like tectonic plates shifting beneath its feet. For example, a structural lens may reveal the formal power centers and channels of communication that have been built into an organization. If we shift to a political framework, however, we may see formal structures being limited and even bypassed entirely by informal power centers and backchannels. Anyone who has worked in an office knows the potential of the “water cooler” to impact how information moves through a company.

Demographic Frameworks

We can also use things like culture, race, inequality, and gender as lenses to see what might not be visible otherwise. Each such lens illuminates the complex contexts in which people make decisions. For example, one important reason for diversity in rooms where key decisions are made is that people of different backgrounds often see and prioritize different things. One of the main factors attributed with Finland’s world-leading education system is the fact that women are in key positions of leadership, and that they provide a different—and infinitely valuable—perspective. A sociological approach can help ensure that all of the necessary perspectives are represented in the decision-making process to produce the best possible outcome.

Explaining the Unexpected

We may find ourselves surprised when a company works against its own stated mission, or when employees fail to respond to certain incentives. A sociological perspective may reveal that company culture, external factors, or something else entirely has shifted the social dynamics within the organization and caused these counter-intuitive outcomes. Or we may wonder why certain issues always get attention while others take a back seat, only to find that the decision-makers all come from a similar background and are, to no fault of their own, unaware of other perspectives. These experiences are not uncommon at all, and they can severely handicap any organization that does not address them.

Tectonic Shifts and Innovation

What different frameworks or lenses reveal is that people operate within a multitude of different “logics” (more on logics in a future post) and that their behavior is often constrained in ways we may not realize. But this isn’t all bad, just as shifting tectonic plates can cause devastating earthquakes but can also produce majestic mountain peaks. Take, for instance, a company that tries to maximize profits while also trying to improve work-life balance. These are two different—often competing—logics. Just by understanding this fact, you may approach such efforts with renewed patience and perspective. But you can also use that knowledge to make better decisions. You may find ways to let each logic win out under different circumstances. Or perhaps you find novel ways to align them, such as through a shorter but more focused workweek, or by pursuing an entirely innovative business model like an employee-owned enterprise. By understanding a bit more about the constraints and contexts in which people are operating—the tectonic plates under the surface—all of these things can become powerful tools of innovation and social good.