Development of Industrial Sociology
Industrial sociology, born in the United States in the late 1930s, focuses on the relationship between industry managers and employees. It has its roots in the Industrial Revolution and has expanded since then. The field aims to study the division of labour, industrial work, large-scale bureaucratic organizations, and the changing nature of society under industrialization. Early contributions include the Hawthorne Experiments and Elton Mayo’s work on human relations in industry. Post-World War II, the theoretical basis expanded from structural-functionalism and Max Weber's insights on bureaucracy. Functionalist sociology led to the concept of industrial organizations as social systems, emphasizing technology. Contingency theory advocates for organizations to adapt to their environment, such as market changes and government legislation. Goldthorpe and his colleagues criticized both human relations and technological implications approaches, emphasizing the importance of the situation of those involved. Conflicting interests in employment in industry often lead to trade unions, collective bargaining, conciliation, and fair pay and work relationships. A more recent contribution is the emphasis on the capitalist labour process, which involves using labour power to produce new value in the form of commodities.
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