Academic Research International Vol.

5(3) May 2014

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Factory and Other Production Institutions as Social Systems and

Agents of Development in Society
Antigha Okon Bassey1, Takim Tiku Oru2, Hayford Solomon Edet3
1, 2
Department of Sociology, University of Calabar,
3
National Productivity Centre, Cross River State Office,
Calabar, NIGERIA.
1
[email protected], 2 [email protected]

ABSTRACT
The paper analysed factory as a social system, illustrating also the possibility of
applying social system analysis to other production institutions such as family,
community and organisation. It was explained that, though social systems approach
is applicable to production institutions mentioned above, its suitability or quietness is
limited due to its static nature and inability to accommodate change process taking
place in the institutions that are dynamic. It was also emphasized that factory and
other production institutions are agents of development in the society. Thus, should
be a subject of constant study to ensure their sustainability, in view of dynamic nature
of development.
Keywords: Factory, production, institution, social system, agents, development,
society, family, community, organisation

INTRODUCTION
A system is a complete whole, consisting of interrelated parts that interact with one another in
their activities towards the realisation of a unified goal (Varma, 1975). In the field of
Sociology there exist social system as compared to the mechanical and biological systems in
the physical and natural sciences. Production institutions are social systems as there are made
up of various interrelated parts which interact towards the realisation of production goal.
According to Hanson (1975:21) the aim (goal) of all production is to satisfy people's wants.
Man's earliest wants were for food, clothing and shelter. Today man’s wants expand to
include industrial products and even services.
This paper focus primarily on factory, but other institutions concerned with productions in the
history of human society development shall also be examined, such as; family, corporate
Organisation, and community. The aim of this paper is to prove that factory and other
production institutions are social systems, and contribute to the development of society. The
paper is significant to the extent that it will widen our understanding of social system analysis
as well as helping us to see the need for stability in production institutions as one of the most
important variables for improving efficiency, effective, and higher productivity. It will be
proper to analyse the social system framework to guide the discussion on production
Institutions.
THE SOCIAL SYSTEM
Rapoport (I968:452,458) defined system as “Something consisting of a set (finite or infinite)
of entities, among which a set of relations is specified, so that deductions are possible from
some relations to others or from the relations among the entities to the behaviour or the
history of the system. In terms of social system, the entities concerned are individuals,
families and institutions, and the relationship among them, such as communication channels,
influence and obligations which are often singled out for attention.

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Parsons (1968: 658, 14.72) looked at system as "the concept that refers both to a complex of
interdependence between parts, components, and processes that involves discernable
regularities of relationship, and to a similar type of interdependency between such a complex
and its surrounding environment. From Parsons’ (1968) conception, it could be easily seen
that the theory of system is a framework for organisation of knowledge in various discipline.
Thus, any theoretical system is abstract. Therefore as a theoretical system, the social system
according to Parsons (1968) is specifically adapted to describing and analysing social
interaction considered as a class of empirical systems concerned with behaviour (human
social interaction).
Accordingly, Parsons (1968) explained that the social system is inherently an open system
engaged in process of interchange (or input-output relations) with its environment, as well as
consisting of interchanges among its internal Units. It may be a subsystem of one or more
super ordinate systems, it is interdependent with the other parts of the more comprehensive
system or systems and hence, partly dependent on them for essential inputs.
The social system is a very complex entity. A n Or ganisatio n of human int erest ,
act ivit ies and commitments, it must be viewed as a system and in functional perspective,
which is the key to social systems line of organisation, its modes of differentiation, and its
integration. It is both a structured and a process system. The idea of social system
encompasses all types of collectivises. One specific and particularly important social system
is the society.
Parsons in Ritzer (1996:242) stipulates seven major requirement of a social system thus:
1. Social systems must be structured so that they operate compatibly with other
systems.
2. In order to survive, the social system must have the requisite support from other
systems.
3. The social system must meet a significant proportion of the need of its actors.
4. The Social system must elicit adequate participation from its members.
5. It must have at least a minimum of control over potentially disruptive behaviour.
6. If conflict becomes sufficiently disruptive, it must be controlled.
7. A social system requires a language in order to survive.
The Social System is generally structured towards self-maintenance or equilibrium. The self-
preservation goal of the system involves the maintenance of boundaries and of the
relationships of parts to the whole, control of environmental variations, and control of
tendencies to change the system from within.
Dia gram of S ocial S ystem

Source: Ritzer, 1996

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One major criticism of the social system analysis is its inability to deal effectively with the
process of social change (Cohen, 1968). The Social system is
far more likely to deal with static structures than with Change processes.Cohen (1968) also
states that social system analysis does not handle adequately a situation of conflict, but that of
stability. It is historic, and many Scholars like Gouldner (1970) criticized it of conservative
bias. But in the whole, social system analysis is very useful in ordering data for research
(Ritzer, 1996).
FACTORY AS A SOCIAL SYSTEM
Before the 19th Century factory has a different meaning from its contemporary usage. It was
a British term for what American called a trading post a fort or station in some wild or distant
region where goods were bought and sold. The term factory is derived from a British word
“factor" which stands for "an agent who bought and sold goods for his employer” (Cleland,
1997: 828). The modern factory emerged in England in the textile industry in the second half
of 18th century and spread over the entire Europe, and was introduced into the United State
of America USA in 1790 by Samuel Slater, an English textile Mechanic who migrated to
Rhode Island and recreated from Memory Spinning Mill, the first in U.S.A.
The modern term factory refers to a building in which goods are manufactured, which
originated from the Latin word "factorium”. It is in this perspective that factory is used in this
paper. Since factory is being considered as a social system, emphasis is on the factory system.
The factory system refers to the process of carrying out production by a group of workers in a
special building devoted to manufacturing. This replaced the domestic or putting-out systems
in which work with the spinning wheel, handloom, or other such device was carried on in the
individual workers home. The factory is a key element of the Industrial Revolution that began
in the late 18th Century. Under the factory system, the employer owned the means and
instrument of production (Akpuru-Aja, 1998). Power tools and machines replace hand tools.
In factory system the factory owner controlled the hours and place of work. In contrast with
the artisan working at home who had been more independent, so long as he produced enough
to support himself and his family.
Though certain forms of factory existed in earlier time, such as the Egyptian Bricks factory,
the growth of factory system is linked directly to Industrial Revolution. Factories were rare
until the discovery of Sea route to Africa, Asia and New World (America), which opened
vast new market and enormous wealth that encourages mass production and consumption.
The factory is a social system, because there are various parts and units in the factory which
interrelates in their activities towards the achievement of the goal of the factory. It is noted
that the new factory system worsened the condition of working man, and put him out of work
(artisan) first, forced to move to crowded towns and cities, separating families, and women
and children utilized in textile mills under poor sanitation, and demoralizing working
conditions.
The most inevitable results of the factory problem was the appearance of trade Unions
movement. Factory taught workers cooperation and made them conscious of common
problems. Workers then grouped together to regain through collective action some control of
their own lives. From social system perspective, the analysis above shows that there existed
various units within the factory which relate with one another. The factory relates with its
environment as inputs in terms of factors of production such as Land, Labour, Capital and
entrepreneurship are accepted into the factory and is sent out as output in terms of product or
service to its numerous clients or customers. As seen earlier according to Parsons (1960) that
a Social System may be a subsystem, the factory is a subsystem of a super ordinate system
(Economic system).

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Society as A System

Fiduci ar y S yst e m Soci etal Com munit y

E con om y (Fa cto r y) Polit y

Source: George Ritzer (1996: 244)
A subsystem in one setting may be a super ordinate system and vice versa. To society,
economy is a subsystem, while to factory; economy is a super ordinate system. The problems
of system analysis limit its application to the factory, as a factory is not static but dynamic.
Because the component are human being that are constantly subject to change. Secondly,
there is high level of conflict within the factory, arising between the factory owners and the
employee, which is likely to foster change. The social system theory aims rather at stability
as against change and is not very fit for analysing factory dynamics. The factory operates
within the confine of its boundary and relates with its environment.
In view of the foregoing explanation, factory is a social system as it comprises interrelated
parts that interact or relates in their activities towards realising set goals. The weakness of
social system analysis affects factory as it is factory is a dynamic social institution and
marked by employee-employer conflict at which social system analysis lacks explanation.
Family and Community
The family and the community are basic social Institutions. According to Eisenstadt (1997),
Social Institutions are ''basic focuses of social organisations, common to all societies and
dealing with some of the basic universal problems of ordered social life. Though family
focuses on the regulation of the procreative and biological relations between individuals in
the society and on initial socialization of new members, family is considered relevant in this
discourse as family is one of the major production institutions in ancient time and in pre-
industrial society (Agrarian society).
The family as a production based social system existed under the Domestic system, when the
workman owned his tools and raw materials and work for himself. The Community existed
during the communal period where everything was collectively owned by the small
community and production carried out for the community good. Whether it is the family or
community changes occurred and conflict arises as civilization set in and to this extent social
system analysis is again limited just like in the factory system. Changes in pattern of family
and community often herald development.
Modern Corporate Organisation
Organisations vary in purpose and in technology. Schools, hospitals, banks, end production
industries are example of organisations with differing goals and needs. Common elements in
all organisations are the existence of ma nagers. The basic concepts of system theory can be
applied to studying organisation which involved the complex interactions of internal and
external environments. The organisation takes resources (inputs) from the larger system (the
external environment), processes those resources within its internal environment, and returns
them to the outside in changed form (output). The organisation influences and is being
influenced by its environment. Human beings who interact are major resources or input of an
Organisation. Organisation as an exponent of society is dynamic and not static, and conflict
between management and staff of organisation cannot be analysed using system model.
Therefore, though Modern Organisation aims at increase productivity, efficiency,
effectiveness and profit marginalization, its ultimate goal is business survival. Though

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organisation can be subjected to social system analyse, the limitation, of system analysis
distort the very nature of modern organisation. No society can move forward without the
contribution of organisation. As such, organisation contribution to production enhances
society’s development.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

This paper focuses specifically on factory as a social institution of production, though other
production related social institutions like family, community and organisations were
examined. An attempt had been made to provide a system analysis of this social production
institution to prove that they can be considered as social systems on their own right.
The analysis in this paper highlighted the limitation of Social System theory in explaining
and predicting social phenomenon due to the rigidity, staticness and inability of the
framework to explained social change and conflict since the institutions are dynamic, though
they fit as Social System, the limitations of the System framework provides a vacuum for
further theorization. Production institutions are very useful in the society as they serve as
agents of development by increasing output of service and products.

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