Final answer:
Formalization in organizations refers to the establishment and documentation of formal norms, such as job descriptions and procedures, as part of a bureaucracy. These written rules help maintain order and are enforced to varying degrees, reflecting cultural values. Bureaucracies are formal organizations with standardized rules covering various aspects, including emerging issues, and are critical to the functionality of many social institutions.
Step-by-step explanation:
An example of formalization is the process of establishing and documenting formal norms, such as writing down job descriptions and procedures. A key aspect of formal organizations, these norms are often associated with bureaucracies and are essential for maintaining order and consistency within an organization. Examples of formal norms include laws, employee manuals, and college entrance exam requirements, which are all written rules that have been developed to serve the broadest range of individuals and are enforced to varying degrees based on cultural values.
Bureaucracies are characterized by explicit rules that are outlined, written down, and standardized. These rules are created to address a range of issues, including those that are emerging with technological advancements, like cyberbullying and identity theft. Such rules are found in documents like the Student Handbook in colleges and universities. The formulation and enforcement of these rules are constantly evolving to adapt to new situations and to ensure the coverage of various concerns that arise within the bureaucratic structure.
Formal norms and bureaucracies are studied from different sociological perspectives such as functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism, each offering a unique insight into the purposes served by these norms, the power dynamics involved in their creation and enforcement, and the interactions between groups benefiting from them.