Primary groups and punishment-based control in an organization: An exploratory study

Abstract

The significance of primary groups in organizational study is well known. The authors of The American Soldiers (1949) found in tactical units that the direct identification with the total symbols of the military organiza tion as a whole, of the state, or of the political cause in the name of which a war was fought, was relatively unimportant as contrasted with the feelings of strength and security in the military primary groups and loyalty to one's immediate comrades. Such feelings contributed greatly to the combat effective ness of individual soldiers (see also Shils, 1950; Goodacre 1951; Grinker and Spiegel, 1963; Janowitz and Little, 1965). A positive relation between primary groups and organizational effectiveness has also been found in many industrial situations (hare, 1962:254-255, 263, 375, 390).