Barbara Misztal - Informality: Social Theory and Contemporary Practice

Cover

Page i

Informality

For most of the twentieth century, modernity has been characterised by the formalisation of social relations as face to face interactions are replaced by impersonal bureaucracy and finance. As we enter the new millennium, however, it becomes increasingly clear that it is only by stepping outside these formal structures that trust and cooperation can be created and social change achieved. In a brilliant theoretical tour de force, illustrated with sustained case studies of changing societies in the former eastern Europe and of changing forms of interaction within so-called virtual communities, Barbara Misztal argues that only the society that achieves an appropriate balance between the informality and formality of interaction will find itself in a position to move forward to further democratisation and an improved quality of life.

Barbara A.Misztal is Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Arts at Griffith University, Brisbane. She is the author of Trust in Modern Society, Polity, 1996.

Page ii

International Library of Sociology

Founded by Karl Mannheim

Editor: John Urry

University of Lancaster

Page iii

Social theory and contemporary practice

Barbara A.Misztal

London and New York

Page iv

First published 2000
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE

Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group

This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2002.

2000 Barbara A.Misztal

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Misztal, Barbara A.
Informality: social theory and contemporary practice/
Barbara A.Misztal
p. cm.(International library of sociology)
Includes bibliographical references (p. )
1. Social interaction. I. Title. II. Series.
HM1111.M57 1999
302dc21 9916271
CIP

ISBN 0-203-00362-4 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0-203-27609-4 (OEB Format)

ISBN 0-415-15673-4 (hbk)

ISBN 0-415-15674-2 (pbk)

Page v

For David, who knows we need formality

Page vi

This page intentionally left blank.

Page vii

Page viii

This page intentionally left blank.

Page 1

Despite modern communications technologies (teleconferencing, video-conferencing, faxes, electronic mail, telephones, etc), senior managers still spend the majority of their time in face-to-face encounters (Rice 1991). In order to meet their business partners, bosses of the biggest corporate giants travel up to five days a week (The Economist, 16 December, 1995:16). So, why are they travelling? The answer to this question will illustrate why people, despite the fact that the essence of modern social life is the replacement of informal obligations and interaction by impersonal and formal rules, still value informality.

Generally, it can be said that managers do travel because they value face-to-face contacts as having the potential to draw individuals deeper into relationships with one another and thereby offer a fuller sense of individual recognition and trust.

Managers well-documented preference for face-to-face communication (Minzberg 1973; Kurke and Aldrich 1983; McKenney, Zack and Doherty 1992; Nohria and Eccles 1992) is based on their belief that co-present communication can reduce the risk of uncooperative behaviour due to its capacity to build an understanding and to enact solutions to disputable problems (McKenney, Zack and Doherty 1992). Managers forsake the convenience of e-mail for the discomfort of air travel because they presume that nothing succeeds in creating trust better than eyeball to eyeball contact (The Economist, 16 December, 1995:16). Modern organizations and their managers operate under the new conditions of the growing division of labour, the