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In the five decades since its inception in 1971, the General Social Survey (GSS) project has prospectively recorded the current characteristics, backgrounds, behaviors, and attitudes of representative cross sections of American adults covering more than two generations and more than a century of birth cohorts. A foundational resource for contemporary social science, the data it produces and disseminates enable social scientists to develop broad and deep understandings into the changing fabric of US society, and aid legions of instructors and students in teaching and learning. It facilitates internationally comparative survey research and places the United States in the context of other societies through the International Social Survey Program, which it cofounded. This article first recounts the GSS's origins, design, and development. It then surveys contributions based on GSS data to studies of stratification and inequality, religion, sociopolitical trends, intergroup relations, social capital and social networks, health and well-being, culture, and methodology.

Provides a general description of the 688 distinct establishments included in the 1991 National Organizations Study, paying particular attention to variables that describe the composition & settings of these workplaces. Results reflect the concentration of the US economy in service-producing activities & industries. Fewer than 50% of for-profit workplaces are ages 20+ with establishments that are part of larger companies being older than other types of establishments. Women are employed in greatest numbers in the nonprofit sector, but compose 45% of full-time employees generally. Less extensive data were collected on the racial composition of establishments, though it seems that minorities tend to be concentrated in larger workplaces. Technical & institutional aspects of the environment of establishments are discussed & correlated with their for-profit, nonprofit, & public status. 5 Tables, 4 Figures. D. M. Smith

This article provides a descriptive overview of the work establishments in the National Organizations Study (NOS). It begins by reviewing their auspices, industry settings, and composition. Next, it introduces the survey items and scales used to measure coordination and control structures including structural differentiation, formalization, decentralization, and the presence of internal labor markets. Other items and scales refer to aspects of the technical and institutional environments. The NOS includes a quite diverse set of establishments, most of which provide services rather than produce goods. The public, nonprofit, and private, for-profit sectors are well represented. A sizable fraction of the workplaces are parts of larger organizations. Differences between descriptive statistics for the unweighted and weighted NOS samples highlight differences in the structures and environments of larger and smaller establishments.

Investigates the extent of gender segregation in US organizations, drawing on data from the 1991 National Organizations Study. Prior studies have concluded that gender segregation has been high across this century, though this research has been limited by its focus on gender composition across the entire society or by case studies of sex segregation within individual firms. Here, data indicate that gender job segregation is very high, with only 19% of occupations categorizable as gender balanced. Gender segregation is associated with lower earnings & career prospects for women. Personnel policies are a strong predictor of gender segregation, as establishments with formalized employment practices & stronger enforcement scrutiny demonstrate lower gender segregation. Organizational leadership is also associated with less gender segregation. Future research should analyze the roles of employee job search processes & employer hiring decisions in the creation of gender job segregation. 7 Tables, 2 Figures, 1 Appendix. D. M. Smith

Examines the organizational structures of establishments in the 1991 National Organizations Study, drawing on theories developed since the 1960. The principle postulate advanced by these theories is that organizations employ structural arrangements to achieve coordination & control over their activities. Further, coordination & control are assumed to be more difficult to achieve as the size of the organization increases. It is found that measures of coordination & control techniques eg, structural complexity, formalization, decentralization, & administrative intensity, are associated in ways that the literature proposes. Significant differences between large & small organizations in terms of organizational structure are found. Further, for-profit companies tend to be less formalized & more decentralized than nonprofit & public sector establishments. Thus, the dominant trend in organizational theory to stress the external, institutional sources of structural forms is confirmed. 5 Tables, 2 Figures. D. M. Smith

Measures of coordination and control techniques—including structural complexity, formalization, decentralization, and firm internal labor markets—are related to one another in theoretically anticipated ways for the diverse set of establishments in the National Organizations Study. Quite strong differences in structure between large and small organizations persist even after statistical adjustments for effects of contextual features, including auspices, environmental complexity, the presence of unions, and branch/subsidiary status. There are appreciable differences, net of size and complexity, in formalization and decentralization between public-sector, nonprofit, and private for-profit establishments. Branch/subsidiary establishments display higher levels of formalization and centralization than do comparable independent workplaces. The end of this article identifies five common profiles of coordination/control strategies. Two of these are variations on simple structure used predominantly in small, independent firms. The other three are varieties of bureaucracy found in large nonunionized, large unionized, and small branch establishments.

Concludes an edited Vol of 16 Chpts that analyzes aspects of US organizations using data from the 1991 National Organizations Study. Results generally indicate that larger establishments are more complex than smaller establishments, exhibiting greater differentiation, decentralization, formal job descriptions, & lower administrative intensity. It is suggested that the analyses presented in this Vol may be extended in a variety of ways, eg, there is a need to obtain multiple informants within organizations to better test social psychological theories about employee motives, beliefs, & behaviors. Further, longitudinal research that provides more than a cross-sectional snapshot of organizations would be helpful in identifying large-scale historical changes, institutional development, & ecological dynamics. Finally, future research might map the environments of organizations in greater detail to produce a better picture of interorganizational networks. D. M. Smith

Introduces an edited Vol of 16 Chpts that reviews data collected by the 1991 National Organizations Study on the structures & human resource practices of US organizations. The history of theorizing organizational structures in the post-WWII period is traced, from the structural approaches that dominated until the early 1970s through the efforts in the 1980s & 1990s to establish linkages between organizations & wider stratification processes. Issues raised include the increasing formalization of employment relations, the notion of the high-performance work organization, & various human resource practices & policies (eg, staffing practices, job training, & compensation). New employment relations (eg, subcontracting), gender segregation, & male-female differences in organizational commitment are also considered. D. M. Smith

Draws on data from the 1991 National Organizations Study to examine two aspects of the formalization of employment relations: firm internal labor markets & formal dispute resolution procedures. It is found that these elements tend to be found in large, formalized establishments, in the public & nonprofit sectors, in unionized workplaces, & in units of larger firms. The presence of these elements is interpreted as part of the coordination/control structure of establishments in that they foster longer-term & closer ties to employees. More simple types of these coordination/control structures are found to be associated with smaller, independent, & younger establishments, while more complex, bureaucratic structures are more associated with larger & older establishments. It is concluded that internal labor markets & dispute resolution procedures are key dimensions of the corporatist organization of modern US establishments. 4 Tables, 6 Figures. D. M.Smith