Hanging Tongues

In the article Hanging Tongues A Sociological Encounter with the Assembly origination Thompson (1983) there ar legion(predicate) connections between the Physical construction of the gripe processing plant and the social structure of those working within it. The layout, design and interior design of the squall plant both directly and metaphoricall(a)y impact on the social structure within the plant, pertaining to (among opposite modelings) a sense of isolation, hierarchies, formalisation and standardisation.The physical layout of the beef processing plant appears to be similar to umpteen other assembly line factories, the butcher floor as Thompson refers to it, being a large at large(p) space with work stations located near the bea. Thompson describes an Overhead stainless steel rail swerve its way around every work station in the plant. We see that although physically all the different work stations on the down floor are connected, the connection is mechanical, part of the layout of the mill. Despite the splay plan space in the factory there is much isolation among the workers, even though they are all working on the same production line.Although most workers know 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(prenominal) worker on Thompsons offal station was expected to handle 187 tongues per hour, plus cleaning of racks and trays. This is quite a high work rate and there is little time for small-talk with co-workers. This rate required from workers creates a particle between the workers who have little time to stop, besides designated breaks and management who seemingly sit behind their desks all daylight.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 have the workers. They work on the kill floor which is the dirtiest, most dangerous 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 get murky themselves. This would make them subordinates to their equals in the business world.Little is noted of the management in Hanging Tongues except that they seldom ventured to the kill floor where Thompsons research took place. Their offices are separate, keeping them isolated from the dirty, dangerous work on the factory floor. The other physical separation in the beef plant was between the inspectors and the workers. There is intelligible animosity between the two groups. As they start the inspectors are on a lower remuneration than the workers. This is presumably because the nature of the inspectors job is a lot less dangerous, and less physically demanding than that of the beefers.The only inter run between inspectors and workers is of a negatively charged nature, as the inspector will be impressive 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. Due to this negative interaction, inspectors are kept separate from workers eating in a separate lunchroom gibe to Thompson. The design and decor of the beef processing plant also contribute to the social structure of the workers. Almost everything 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 body of work is even more im mortalal. 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 flip change, as if the workers had never been there. There is no sense of individualism for the workers, ins tead we see in action the metaphor of the organisation 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 perfect product (in this case a butchered cow). Another example of the decor ob setd by Thompson was that of the safety posters puckish over the walls, reminding 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 have 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 about the decor in the factory is the lack of clocks. Management try to control certain aspects of the work ers day, this is one way in which they do it. By not letting workers know that their break / closing of shift is going to let management are trying 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 knife 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 really just a symbolic way of gaining slightly control back, it is an important form of communication between the normally isolated workers.Formalisation, pertaining to rules and procedures implemented at the beef processing plant are an important dimension of organisational social structure. Hatch (2006), states that formalization tends to reduce the nitty-gritty of discretion employees have in performing their work tasks. The physical structures that the beef plant has that connect with this mastery 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, dealings with flying hooves, and hooks and chains. Standardisation is a dimension of organisational social structure that is inherent in Thompsons Hanging Tongues. Much 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 standardised 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 of import 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 exert in social structure, as in many organisations they are the easiest way to get work through with(p) 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). plaque Theory modern, symbolic, postmodern perspectives. (2nd Ed. ). Oxford Oxford University Press. Morgan, G. (1998). Images of organisation The executive edition. Thousand Oaks, CA Sage pp 3-13. Thompson, W. E. (1983). Hanging Tongues A sociological encounter with the assembly line. Qualitativ e Sociology 6 (3), 215-237.