Final answer:
The band form of organization is most closely associated with the gathering-hunting mode of production, which is characterized by a lack of formal political structures and a focus on family-based production and control over goods.
Step-by-step explanation:
The mode of production most characterized by the band form of organization is gathering-hunting. Band societies lack formal political structures and are typically based on small, mobile groups that rely on hunting and gathering for subsistence. In these societies, the production and distribution of goods are regulated within each family group, allowing them more control over their work cycles and the goods they produce compared to societies with more complex organizational structures.
As anthropologist Elman Service outlined, band societies represent one type of four primary forms of social organization which are linked to different modes of subsistence. These include band, tribe, chiefdom, and state, correlating respectively with gathering-hunting, horticulture, agricultural surplus, and a state's complex economy. The band is the most basic form with a focus on reciprocal sharing and less formal organization, contrasting with the regimented labor and production in industrial societies.
The internal workings of a band society are largely managed by the community's shared values and informal decision-making processes, as opposed to the centralized power and bureaucratic institutions found in more evolved sociopolitical organizations such as chiefdoms and states. Understanding these forms of social organization is essential to comprehending how human societies have developed and managed production throughout history