Bureaucracy: A Closer Look

Chapter 11

Weber’s Bureaucracy

• Weber sought to describe an ideal organization One that would be perfectly rational and would

provide maximum efficiency Machine bureaucracy is a very close adaptation of

what Weber meant in using the term Bureaucracy Weber’s bureaucratic model was a hypothetical

rather than factual description of how organization must be structured

Bureaucracy• Characteristics: Division of labor: each person’s job is broken

down into simple, routine, and well defined tasks Well defined authority hierarch: A multilevel

formal structure, with a hierarchy of positions, ensures that each lower office is under the supervision and control of a higher one

High Formalization: dependence of rules and procedures to ensure supervision and control of a higher one

Impersonal nature: Sanctions are applied uniformly and impersonally to avoid involvement with individual personalities and personal preferences of members

BureaucracyCharacteristics (contd.) Employment decisions based on merit: Selection and

promotion decisions are based on technical qualifications, competencies, and performance of the candidates

Career tracks for employees: Members are expected to pursue careers in the organization. In return for career commitment, employees have tenure, that is they will be retained even if they “ burn out” or if the skills become obsolete

Distinct separation of members’ organizational and personal lives: the demands and interests of personal affairs are kept completely separate to prevent them from interfering with the rational impersonal conduct of the organization

Positive Qualities1. Attempt to eliminate use of irrelevant criteria for

choosing employees2. The use of tenure to protect employees against arbitrary,

changes in skill demands, and declining ability3. Establishment of rules and regulations to increase the

likelihood that employees will be treated fairly to create stability over time

4. Creation of vertical hierarchy to ensure that clear lines and authority exists, that decisions are made, and that accountability over decisions is maintained

5. The positive side of vertical authority often includes answers to such questions as:- to whom do I take my problems?

Positive Qualities- how much authority does that manager has?- whom do I have to see to get this decision made?

6. The importance of these decisions were revealed in a survey of industrial managers- they were found to be in favor of more rather than less, of :- clarity in lines of authority, rules, duties, specification of procedures- these managers recognized that only when the structure and relationships are clear can authority be delegated

Summarizing Weber’s Contribution Central theme of the model is standardization The behavior of the people in bureaucracies are pre-

determined by standardized structure and processes The model itself can be detected into three groups of

characteristics1. Those that relate to the structure and functioning of an

organization Included here are rules concerning hierarchy of offices,

each hierarchical level under the direction of higher one The division of labor creates units of expertise, defines

area of action consistent competence of its members, assigns responsibilities for carrying out these actions,

The written rules govern the performance of member’s duties

This imposition of structure and functions provide a high level specialized expertise, coordination of roles, and control of members through standardization

Summarizing Weber’s Contribution• Three groups of characteristics of the model

(contd.)2. Characteristics that deal with means of rewarding

effort. Members receive salaries in relation to their rank

in organization Promotions are based on objective criteria such as

seniority or achievement Since members are not owners, it is important that

there be a clear separation of their private affairs from the organization’s affairs

It is expected that commitment to the organization is paramount, the position in the organization being the employee’s sole or primary occupation

Summarizing Weber’s Contribution• Three groups of characteristics of the model

(contd.)3. Characteristics that deals with for protection for

individual members In return for a career commitment:

- members receive protection from arbitrary actions by superiors- clear knowledge of their responsibilities and the amount of authority their superior holds- the ability to appeal to decisions that they see as unfair or outside the parameters of their superior’s authority

Dysfunctional Consequences• Goal Displacement Attacked most frequently for displacement of

organizational goals with sub-units goals This general theme has been packaged in a number of

formsa. According to Robert Merton the goals become more

important than the ends that they were designed to serve, the result being goal displacement and loss of organizational effectiveness

b. According to Philip Selznick specialization and differentiation create sub-units with different goals. The goals of each separate subunit becomes primary to the subunit members. This results in conflicts between these subunits where achievement of sub-unit goals become more important than accomplishment of organizational goals

Dysfunctional Consequences• Goal Displacement (contd.)c. A third perspective was offered by Alvin Gouldner Proposed that rules and regulations not only define

unacceptable behaviors but also define minimum levels of acceptable behavior- if organization goals are not internalized rules and regulations not only define unacceptable behaviors but also define the minimum levels of acceptable behaviors- if the organization’s goals are not internalized and made part of the employee’s behavior, the rules encourage empathy- people will do just do bare minimum to get by- the rules become interpreted as setting the minimum standards for performance rather than identifying unacceptable behavior

Dysfunctional Consequences• Goal Displacement (contd.)d. Thompson sees the highly formalized bureaucracy

as creating insecurities in those in authority that leads to what he calls less bureaucratic behavior

Decision makers use adherence to rules to protect themselves from making an errors

Instead of high formalization facilitating decision making, the rules and regulations provide protection to hide behind

Persons in high hierarchical positions become increasingly dependent on lower level specialists for achievement of organizational goals, they tend to introduce more and more rules to protect themselves against this dependency

Dysfunctional Consequences• Inappropriate applications of rules and

regulations: Applying formalized rules and procedures in

inappropriate situations

- responding to unique situation as it were routine resulting in dysfunctional consequences

Over time bureaucracies breed such devotion to rules that members blindly repeat decisions and actions that they have made number of times before, unaware that conditions have changed

Dysfunctional Consequences• Employee Alienation: Members perceive impersonality of the organization as

creating distance between them and work- as a “ cog in the wheel” it is frequently difficult to feel committed in the organization

High specialization further reinforces one’s feeling of being irrelevant, routine activities can be easily learned by others , making employees feel interchangeable and powerless

• Concentration of power: It is a fact that bureaucracies generates enormous power

concentrated in the hands of few If one feels this as undesirable or counter to the values of

democratic society , it will be attributed with negative consequences

Dysfunctional Consequences• Nonmember Frustration: Clients and customers of bureaucracies must

tolerate the hassle created by bureaucracies If the bureaucracy is a business firm with viable

customers, one can always take its business some where else, if it fails to satisfy its needs

- but reality is that in all probability, the competition may also use the same form

If the organization is a governmental agency, or a regulated monopoly, one must deal with it on their own terms

Is Bureaucracy a Structural Dinosaur

• There are two positions regarding this view

1. Bureaucracy had its time, but those days are gone. If bureaucracy is not already dead it is grasping its last breath.

2. Bureaucracy is alive and well. It is still the most efficient way to organize activities

The Coming Death of Bureaucracy• This argument was presented by social psychologist

Warren Bennis• The following summarizes Bennis arguments Every age develops an organizational form, and

bureaucratic form dominated the latter part of nineteenth century and early part of twentieth century

The bureaucratic model was developed as a personal subjugation, nepotism, and the capricious and subjective judgments that passed for acceptable managerial practices of early days of the industrial revolution

Bureaucracy emerged out of the need by organization for order and precision and demand of workers for impartial treatment

Today’s conditions are inconsistent with those values and demands

Atleast four conditions are direct threat to Bureaucracy

The Coming Death of Bureaucracy1. Rapid and unexpected change Bureaucracy strength lies in its capacity to manage

efficiently routine and predictable activities With rapid changes in the environment it finds no place2. Growth in size: In theory there is no natural limit to the height of

bureaucratic pyramid In practice the element of complexity is invariably

introduced with constant increase in size Increased administrative overhead, tighter controls,

greater impersonality, outmoded rules are all examples of what happens in bureaucracy when size increases

These obstacles hinder organizational growth in bureaucratic form

The Coming Death of Bureaucracy3. Increasing Diversity: Today’s activities require persons of very diverse, highly

specialized, competence Hurried growth, rapid changes, and increased specialization are

incompatible wit bureaucracy well defined chain of command, rigid rules and procedure, and impersonality

4. Change in managerial behavior Managers are under going a subtle and perceptible change in

philosophy. These changes are undermining the ideology that supported bureaucracy

a. A new concept of human beings based on increased knowledge of their complex and shifting needs which replaces an over simplified, innocent, push button idea of men and woman

b. A new concept of power, based on collaboration and reason which replaces a model of power based on coercion and threat

c. A new concept of organizational values based on humanistic, democratic ideals which replaces the depersonalized mechanistic values of bureaucracy

The Greatly Exaggerated Death of Bureaucracy

Robert Miewald has offered a counter argument to Bennis His major contention is that bureaucracy can adapt to

changing conditions Weber never meant that bureaucracy characteristics to

endure for eternity Weber’s major contribution was to create a rational and

efficient form Whatever form is required to sustain rationality and

efficiency result in bureaucracy The development of professional bureaucracy is a perfect

example of bureaucracy characteristics being modified to represent the most rational and efficient way to structure knowledge dominated organizations

One Can’t Ignore the Obvious: Bureaucracies are Every where

Despite the negativities of bureaucratic form, bureaucratic form is still thriving

Number of possible explanations are:1. It works: Not taking into consideration the contingency factors that predict

non-bureaucratic structure, the fact is that it works Regardless of technology, environment. etc., bureaucracies are

effective in wide range of organized activities: manufacturing, service firms, hospitals, schools, universities, military voluntary firms

2. Large size prevails Bureaucracy is efficient with large size Small organizations and their non bureaucratic structures are more

likely to fail over time, small organizations may come and go but bureaucracies stay

Size is a dominant criterion determining structure therfore increased size may cause bureaucracy

One Can’t Ignore the Obvious: Bureaucracies are Every where

3. Natural selection favors bureaucracy Natural selection thesis can be used to to explain the rise and

proliferation of bureaucracies There are many types of organizations, though they differ, they all

retain certain design elements because these elements are inherently more efficient and able to compete more efficiently

Bureaucracy structural features are selectively retained because they achieve reinforcing consequence, while non bureaucratic features are selectively eliminated

Once proven to be efficient, bureaucracies than force their form on other organizations in their environment

Those organizations that fail to adopt this design will be driven out in competition for resources

So bureaucratic form will eventually dominate because this design tends to be more efficient and it drives out organization that uses any other form

One Can’t Ignore the Obvious: Bureaucracies are Every where

4. Societal values are unchanging North American values favor order and regimentation North Americans have traditionally been goal oriented

and comfortable with authoritarian structures Employees in organizations look with disfavor on jobs

that are ambiguous and where responsibilities are vague Bureaucracy favors values of order and regimentation5. Environmental turbulence is exaggerateda. Changes are no more dynamic now than at any other time

in historyb. The impact of uncertainties in the environment on the

organization are substantially reduced as a result of managerial strategies

One Can’t Ignore the Obvious: Bureaucracies are Every where

6. The professional bureaucracy has emerged The professional bureaucracy provides the same

degree of standardization as Weber’s machine bureaucracy

The increased need for technical expertise and the rapid increase of knowledge based industries has been handled nearly by professional bureaucracy

The bureaucratic form has demonstrated the ability to adjust to its greatest threat – knowledge revolution by modifying itself

The goal of standardization has been proven to be achievable by more than one path

One Can’t Ignore the Obvious: Bureaucracies are Every where

7. Bureaucracy maintains control High standardization coupled with centralized power in

hands of dominant coalition is desired by those in power Bureaucracy meets that end From the power-control perspective one could predict that

those in power would prefer bureaucracy Consistent with this observation that moderate degree of

routineness pervades all organizations Since technology is chosen it is logical to conclude that

those in power will chose technology and a matching structural form to maintain and enhance their control