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Discuss the features of Max Weber’s bureaucracy
Discuss the features of Max Weber’s bureaucracy
Discuss the features of Max Weber’s bureaucracy
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Bureaucratic institutions were formed as a way to manage large-scale collective action, to increase organization and coordination. Max Weber is known for his analysis of the bureaucratic institution. In the Weberian sense, bureaucracies are composed of a hierarchical structure of authority in which command flows downward and information flows upward, a division of labor composed of specialized tasks, a consistent set of rules, a large amount of impersonality, advancement through demonstrated merit and overall specified goals.
By definition, bureaucratic organization may not seem to be a bad thing. However, in practice, bureaucracies are known to have a negative effect on all its participants. As defined by Samuel Kernell and Gary Jacobson, "The model bureaucracy is, in short, a purposive machine with interchangeable human parts." Bureaucracies are dehumanizing, they train for obedience, and stifle creative thought. The characteristics of bureaucratic organization that have the worst effect on its participants and most compromise efficiency are its hierarchical structure in which all the power resides at the top and the specialization of tasks.
The complex and elaborate hierarchical structure of bureaucracies is what leads to the massive amounts of paperwork or "red tape" for which bureaucracies are known. When control is dictated from the top down and information is relayed from the bottom up, problems of principal-agent loss arise. Information has the potential to become clouded and misconstrued, or even lost for that matter, which greatly compromises efficiency. To reduce principal-agent loss and increase efficiency, the free flow of information between all levels should be promoted. With this, workers would not have to go through a "middle man" to contact someone higher in the hierarchical structure. Not only would this increase efficiency but also increase the quality of communication. Also, the top level in the bureaucracy should not have all the power. The top should have more power, but the power and authority should be distributed which would also help cope with principal-agent loss.
Another characteristic of bureaucratic organization that compromises efficiency is the division of specialized labor. When all the tasks are specialized and everyone is trained to do one specific thing, there is no allowance for free riding. If one person, or many people for that matter, decides to slack off (which is simply human nature), what then happens?
Often, when the discussion of American bureaucracy is broached in conversation, those holding these conversations often think of the many men and women who operate behind the scenes within the government. This same cross section of Americans is looked upon as the real power within the federal government and unlike the other branches of government, has little to no oversight. A search of EBSCO resulted in the following definition, an organization “structure with a rigid hierarchy of personnel, regulated by set rules and procedures” (Bureaucracy, 2007). Max Weber believed that a bureaucracy was technically the most efficient form of organization, one structured around official functions that are bound by rules, each function having its own specified competence (2007). This wide ranging group of Americans has operated within the gaps, behind the scenes, all under the three core branches of government: the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The division of government into three branches and separate powers gives each branch both exclusive powers and some additional power...
Bureaucracy is a dominant organization that has emerged in life (Henslin, 2012). It can be a school or university, the government, grocery store, etc. There are five different characteristics in a bureaucracy: clear levels, with assignments flowing downward and accountability flowing upward, a division of labor, written rules, written communications and records, and impersonality and replaceability (Henslin, 2012). A farmer’s market has each of these characteristics. A farmer’s market is a place where farmers or people come and sell healthy, organic foods, or sell different artistic pieces. This essay explains the different characteristics outlined in a farmer’s market.
Modern Bureaucracy in the United States serves to administer, gather information, conduct investigations, regulate, and license. Once set up, a bureaucracy is inherently conservative. The reason the bureaucracy was initiated may not continue to exist as a need in the future. The need or reason may change with a change in the times and the culture needs. A bureaucracy tends to make decisions that protect it and further it’s own existence, possibly apart from the wishes of the populace. It may not consistently reflect what might be optimal in terms of the needs and wants of the people. Local governments employ most of the United States civil servants. The 14 cabinet departments in the U.S. are run day-to-day by career civil servants, which have a great deal of discretionary authority.
Paul Barker 's, "Public Administration in Canada" defines the roles of different administrative structures in Canada. In the second chapter. "Public Administration and Organization Theory: The Structural Foundation," Barker addresses Max Weber, a German scholar, and his approach to the classical Bureaucratic Theory. Bureaucracy 's main purpose is to achieve a high level of efficiency. Bureaucratic structures contain a hierarchical structure, specialization of labour, merit based employment and promotion, full time employment, unbiased or unprejudicial decisions, documentation and employment separated from personal life. Weber also believed bureaucracy was also detrimental for society. It overwhelms leaders and is a mind numbing experience for
This essay will discuss the mainstream and critical perspectives of bureaucracy and post-bureaucracy. It will begin by examining the characteristics of bureaucracy and then compare the mainstream and the critical views. Post-bureaucracy will then be discussed using the same structure.
An organization’s structure can affect its efficiency and productivity. The two main management theories are the Classic Theory and Theory X. Classical theory is defined as a management theory of a large organization in which management is led by intuition to motivate and control employees (Hamilton, 2008 p. 41). The Classic Theory can be divided into two large subgroups, scientific managers and bureaucratic theorists. Scientific manager’s focus is on reducing production costs while bureaucratic theorists focus is on administrative efficiency (Hamilton, 2008 p. 43). Although Theory X is not a large subgroup of the Classical Theory, it is under the classical theory and its crucial point is that workers are assumed lazy; therefore managers punish them to motivate them. Managers of Theory X believe that the average person; will avoid work because they do not like work, will not strive to achieve objectives, will avoid responsibilit...
Many authors have utilized his writings as the basis for their own research. Consider, for instance, Robert K. Merton whose Bureaucratic Structure and Personality shares many explicit similarities with Weber’s thought. Merton is also, for instance, a strong proponent of bureaucracy as the ideal type of administrative form: “The ideal type of such formal organization is bureaucracy and, in many respects, the classic analysis of bureaucracy is that by Max Weber” (Merton, 1940,). Merton’s writings already began incorporating the troubling aspect of dehumanization inherent to bureaucracy: “As we know from Merton, bureaucrats often seek refuge in rules and procedures as protection from criticism” (Lerner & Wanat, 1983, p. 506). Modern authors have studied this important disconnect as
Bureaucracy is an organizational design based on the concept of standardization. “It is characterized by highly routine operating tasks achieved through specialization, very formalized rules and regulations, tasks that are grouped into functional departments, centralized authority, narrow spans of control, and decision making that follows the chain of command” (Judge & Robbins, 2007, p.
Weber, a notable German sociologist, proposes a management system of bureaucracy where the organizations are formalized and having rigid structure. A bureaucratic organization is said to have a well-defined formal hierarchical structure in such a way that individuals who are in higher position will assign jobs to bottom tier
According to Sapru R.K. (2008) p370-371 the traditional ideal of public administration which inclined to be firm and bureaucratic was based on processes instead of outcomes and on setting procedures to follow instead of focusing on results. This paradigm can be regarded as an administration under formal control of the political control, constructed on a firmly ranked model of bureaucracy, run by permanent and neutral public servants, driven only by public concern. In emerging nations the administration was true bureaucracy meaning government by officers. In this perspective Smith (1996) p235-6 perceived that“the bureaucracy controls and manages the means of production through the government. It increases chances for bureaucratic careers by the creation of public figures,demanding public managers, marketing boards.
Similarly in Weber’s bureaucratic approach, organizations are divided into different echelons with each varying in its degrees of influence. Each unit being commanded by the one above it, a system that promotes stability and has a predictable line of communication. Both approaches of management rely heavily on regulated control. Whether governing task scientifically of people authoritatively. A solid form of control is mus...
Max Weber mentions that bureaucracy is characterized by impersonality (Weber, 1997), and this is another reason why it is an irrelevant phenomenon in the study of organizations. The relationships between the executive officials and their juniors in an organization that adopts a bureaucratic system of leadership in usually impersonal. Although impersonality of bureaucracy is praised as important in promoting equality by some scholars, it is a bureaucratic characteristic that cause infuriation in organizations as individual treatment of people is overridden by generalization, something that Gajduschek (2003) attests to. An important point to bear in mind is that offended employees are ultimately unproductive employees. Bureaucracies are often
Satisfaction of Human Needs: Decentralization is an important tool to fulfill the human need for power, status, independence, and prestige. This satisfaction helps to construct a frame of satisfied managers, who feel their responsibility towards the company and work.
Traditional public administration is traced back to the works of scholars like Max Weber, Woodrow Wilson and Fredrick Taylor. This form of administration was mostly influenced by Max Weber with his bureaucratic model and theory. Max Weber was a well-known sociologist born in Germany in the year 1864. He came up with his bureaucratic model as a way to try to improve management in organizations. ‘Weber emphasized on top-down control in the form of monocratic hierarchy that is a system of control in which policy is set at the top and carried out through a series of offices, whereby every manager and employee are to report to one person in top management and held accountable by that manager’ (Pfiffner, 2004, p. 1).
Since its emergence as a field of study, there have been some important contributions to public administration. Its goal has always been to improve productivity which then improves workplace performance. All of the contributions have been aimed at completing the work with the highest level of efficiency and at the lowest cost.