Hanging Tongues

In the article Hanging Tongues A Sociological Encounter with the Assembly pargonntage Thompson (1983) there argon many connections between the Physical structure of the kick processing intentiont and the affable structure of those escapeing within it. The layout, physique and decor of the skreak industrial kit and caboodle both directly and metaphorically affect on the social structure within the plant, pertaining to (among other archetypes) a spirit of isolation, hierarchies, formalisation and standardisation.The physical layout of the beef processing plant appears to be uniform to many other assembly attract factories, the slay floor as Thompson refers to it, being a large open space with urinate displace located around the area. Thompson describes an Overhead stain little steel rail trend its management around either work station in the plant. We hold that although physically all the different work stations on the execute floor are connected, the connection is mechanical, part of the layout of the pulverization. Despite the open plan space in the manufacturing plant there is much isolation among the workers, plane though they are all working on the same drudgery path.Although about workers do each other on sight, it is unlikely that they would know more than first names due to the nature of the work they are doing. Each worker on Thompsons offal station was expected to give-up the ghost by 187 tongues per hour, plus cleaning of racks and trays. This is quite a high work regularise and there is little time for small-talk with co-workers. This rate required from workers creates a flunkdown between the workers who birth little time to stop, besides designated breaks and focussing who on the face of it sit behind their desks all day.Also concerned with the layout of the factory was the separation of the kill floor with the executive offices. This layout in the factory underlines the hierarchy of the social structure within the plant. At the bottom of the ladder we dedicate the workers. They work on the kill floor which is the dirtiest, most jeopardyous and most monotonous job. The Management and executives of the company are at the top of the hierarchy, they are separated physically from the kill floor as they cannot be seen to suck up dirty themselves. This would make them subordinates to their equals in the personal credit line world.Little is noted of the management in Hanging Tongues except that they Rarely ventured to the kill floor where Thompsons research took place. Their offices are separate, retentiveness them isolated from the dirty, flagitious work on the factory floor. The other physical separation in the beef plant was between the inspectors and the workers. There is understandable animosity between the two groups. As they start the inspectors are on a lower wage than the workers. This is presumptively because the nature of the inspectors job is a lot less dangerous, and less phy sically demanding than that of the beefers.The only interaction between inspectors and workers is of a detrimental nature, as the inspector will be telling the worker that the work is not of a high enough standard, this slows the progress of the workers and causes resentment towards the inspectors. out-of-pocket to this negative interaction, inspectors are kept separate from workers eating in a separate lunchroom according to Thompson. The design and decor of the beef processing plant also contri hardlye to the social structure of the workers. Almost eachthing on the kill floor is made of stainless steel, the benches, knives, tubs etc.This sterile equipment makes a sterile working environment, which makes the workers feel that their workplace is even more impersonal. Some other aspects of decor and design also lead the workers to this isolated mindset. Sealed cement floors and Ceramic tile walls are cold and impersonal. Everything is cleaned down at every break and shift change, as if the workers had never been there. There is no sensory faculty of individualism for the workers, instead we see in action the metaphor of the nerve as a machine Morgan (1998).Whereby the workers are not considered as individuals, but as functioning parts of a machine, objects that do their part in order to create a finished product (in this case a butchered cow). Another example of the decor observed by Thompson was that of the safety posters plastered over the walls, cueing workers that they should be wearing safety equipment, and working carefully at all times. This decor around the workspace (where we can imagine that management bedevil pictures of their families instead) creates another division between us (the workers) and them (management).The posters also serve to remind the workers that their jobs are undeniably dangerous, workers being forced to face the fact that every day they are working they are in physical danger from the jobs they do. One last observation ab out the decor in the factory is the lack of clocks. Management try to control certain aspects of the workers day, this is one way in which they do it. By not letting workers know that their break / end of shift is going to arrive management are try to avoid the inevitable slacking off before the end of a shift, or ducking out early.This control is one thing that workers have tried to regain, as the person at the start of the production line starts clanging his dig against the metal when the break in the line appears. The knife banging gets passed from station to station and Thompson said he knew that it was exactly 35 minutes until the end of the line would reach me. Even though it is truly just a symbolic way of gaining some control back, it is an distinguished form of communication between the normally isolated workers.Formalisation, pertaining to rules and procedures implemented at the beef processing plant are an burning(prenominal) balance of organisational social structu re. Hatch (2006), states that formalization tends to reduce the amount of discretion employees have in performing their work tasks. The physical structures that the beef plant has that connect with this controversy are numerous. The posters about wearing safety equipment are one example the sterile, dangerous equipment they use is another. Formalisation, according to Hatch, also helps to determine pay levels.In Thompsons Hanging Tongues we see a specific example of this in the reference note stating that the shackler is paid 10cents per hour more than the workers because of the more dangerous nature of his job, dealing with flying hooves, and hooks and chains. Standardisation is a dimension of organisational social structure that is inherent in Thompsons Hanging Tongues. much(prenominal) mention is made of the monotony of the work. The workers do the same job, in the same way, day after day. Their surroundings and equipment are always the same. It is this ombination of standardise d work and surroundings that connects the social and physical structures in this beef plant. The work may be efficient, but the monotony and the dangerous aspects of the job are crucial factors in the high turnover of staff in assembly line jobs. There are many connections between the physical and social structures of the beef processing plant that Thompson has studied. Hierarchies and divisions of labour are common practice in social structure, as in many organisations they are the easiest way to get work done effectively.The same is true of physical structures based upon keeping management away from the dirty work, or kill floor. What is important is that we can see how these structures impact upon each other making the business what it is. References Hatch, M. J. (with Cunliffe, A) (2006). Organisation Theory modern, symbolic, postmodern perspectives. (2nd Ed. ). Oxford Oxford University Press. Morgan, G. (1998). Images of organisation The executive edition. Thousand Oaks, CA S age pp 3-13. Thompson, W. E. (1983). Hanging Tongues A sociological encounter with the assembly line. qualitative Sociology 6 (3), 215-237.