Max Weber: Selections in Translation

§ 12. The term ‘association’ should be understood to mean a social relationship whose rules restrict, or exclude, those outside of it and within which there are particular individuals appointed for the specific purpose of securing the maintenance of its regulations. One or more of these individuals will be the ‘head’ or ‘leader’, and in some cases there will also be an executive staff which will normally have delegated powers in appropriate cases. The leadership, or a share in the functions of the executive (what we may call ‘governmental powers’), may either be (a) appropriated or (b) assigned in accordance with the accepted rules of the association to particular individuals or to persons selected on the basis of particular criteria or in accordance with particular forms. The assignment of powers in this way may be either for a long term or for a period or to deal with specific circumstances. The term ‘associational action’ will be used to refer (a) to actions taken by the executive staff themselves, given legitimacy by their executive or delegated powers and taken in order to preserve the existence of the regulations of the association, or (b) to actions taken by members of the association, operating under instructions given by the executive. (The latter will be called ‘action relative to the association’: see Note 3 below.)