Most of our lives are spent interacting with different groups of persons that we typically call an “organization”. The majority of us, with the exception of orphans, grew up in a group of persons that we normally call a “family”. This group typically consists of our father, mother, brothers, and sisters. The family is the basic unit of society that we interact with all through our lives, from birth to death.

Given that Filipinos have close family ties, this basic family also extends into a larger group of persons that we refer to as our “relatives”, consisting of grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and nieces. While our interaction with them is not as frequent as our family, these persons are also close to us in the same way as our family.

When we go to school, we become a member of another group of persons – the school community. We typically belong to a particular section, that belongs to a particular grade, and a particular campus. We are administered by our assigned teacher-adviser. The teacher also belongs to a group of teachers on the campus, and they are typically led by a principal or school head.

The majority of our childhood, teenage years, and early adulthood are spent in basic and secondary educational institutions. As we age up, we also enter into either a vocational school, college or a university. While most of us will stop schooling after these tertiary learning institutions, some will continue to enroll in courses for masteral or doctoral degrees. But the majority will be employed in workplaces such as business enterprises, private or public organizations.

The aforementioned groups such as families, school communities, and workplaces are common examples of formal organizations. These groups are usually characterized by hierarchical arrangement and have defined roles and responsibilities. One characteristic of a formal organization is that you cannot choose the members of these groups. These organizations already have existing persons in place whether you like them or not.

However, there are also groups of persons in your personal life or at school where the members are typically loose but enjoy common interests and goals. These are your group of friends, the school clubs on your campus, and other groups such as the school paper, the varsity team, the various sports clubs, and recreational groups that have common interests such as the debating team, dance groups, the music bands, singing clubs, chess clubs, volunteer groups, political associations, and the like. Even fraternities, brotherhoods, sisterhoods, and gangs, which can sometimes influence a person’s behavior whether for the better or the worse, are also groups that we typically refer to as “informal organizations”.

While some of them have a formal setup, most of these groups are collegial. This means that the majority of the members share a common interest and usually have an equal footing and say in the group. They vote among themselves a set of officers that will administer the group to ensure order and further their aims and purposes.

After having the preliminary discussion above, it is now time to discuss the informal organization in our workplaces.

The formal organization in the local government is the department or office that we belong to. This is usually delineated as sections that make up divisions. The lowest level starts with the rank-and-file employees, who are managed by supervisors, which are either section chiefs or division chiefs. Further up are the top management, handled by the assistant department head and the department head. This formal setup is usually hierarchical and top-down. Authority and responsibilities flow from top management down to the rank and file.

You might ask where is the informal organization inside this formal organization? You can see this when the office members are relaxed. Who associates with whom? What groups are formed? Who are the members of each particular circle of friends? Who chills out with whom? The friendships and bonds that are formed in a relaxed manner is the “informal organization”.

So what are some of the characteristics of these informal groups? One particular type of group is the “marites” group, typically the individuals in the office who enjoy sharing gossip. Other groups are usually defined by age. The senior citizens, the middle-aged ones, and the younger generation will usually associate with one another more easily. There are also groups composed of single or married persons. Some have common interests such as sports, and current or political events. Some have particular gender affiliations such as LGBTQ. The list of shared interests and experiences goes on.

Within the circle of friends in this informal setup, you can identify informal group “leaders”. These leaders are recognized for their charisma and leadership abilities. They influence the group, can motivate members, and can either influence others to some extent, whether being a good or bad influence.

Here is an example. Steve is a lowly janitor in the organization. But he is highly skilled and the best bowler in that organization. As such, he becomes the leader of the bowling enthusiasts in that organization. He is respected and leads the bowling group to practice more and improve their skills. Among the members of the group are the formal organization’s leaders and middle management. Steve is an example of an informal organization leader, specifically of the office’s bowling team.

Another example is Lisa. She is the lowest-ranked administrative aide in the organization. However, due to her dancing abilities and overall fitness, she leads her office during afternoon dance and stretching activities. She coaches the office during inter-LGU dance competitions. Thus, Lisa is the informal organization leader of the office’s dance and fitness group.

Leaders of the informal group are individuals who have real charisma and leadership skills. Their influence comes from their inherent personalities and is not imposed by the organizational structure.

The members of the informal group also share a collegial bond that is not imposed by the formal organization. They operate based on trust and confidence in each other.

At this point we ask, is it worth being aware of the informal organization? There is no clear-cut answer, but perhaps a “yes” and a “no” will depend on the issues affecting the office. In ideal situations where office morale is high and everyone is engaged, the formal organization will suffice. However, not every organization is ideal. Conflicts and dissensions are sometimes present. Sometimes office morale is low. In situations like this, it is sometimes helpful to reach out to the leaders of the informal group to help motivate their members and move toward a common goal.

If you are a leader in a formal organization, it pays to communicate and engage with the informal leaders of the informal groups in your office. You need to establish a dependable mindset that other employees can depend on. A sense of trustworthiness that can be relied upon. By being authentic and sincere, you can engage other employees more easily and accomplish even more. All these efforts end up improving the performance and relationships in your organization.