Bureaucracy

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Bureaucracy

• OR
• How the World Turns

EDAD 8043
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Basic Elements of Classical Bureaucracy

• 1. Hierarchical organizational structure
  systematically orders communication and authority
  among formally established positions
• 2. Division of labor based on functional
  specialization
• 3. System of procedures, rules and regulations
  covering rights and duties on the workplace

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• 4. Impersonality of interpersonal relations
• 5. Promotion and selection based on technical
  expertise
• 6. Rational systematic goal-oriented
  organizational processes

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Hierarchy

• The effectiveness of the organization is
  enhanced when there is a single head and when
  superordinates delegate authority
• --authority is dual superior has the right to
  command and subordinate is expected to be
  attentive
• --formal position and its control over rewards
  and punishment are the means for gaining
  compliance

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• --rational-legal authority is vested in the
  position rather than the power of the person in
  it
• --authority and responsibility are linked the
  responsibility to do something should carry the
  authority to do it
• --the linkage between authority and
  responsibility makes individuals accountable and
  legitimizes the existence of the hierarchy in the
  control system

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Task Specialization and Division of Labor

• The effectiveness of the organization is
  enhanced by these feature when everyone in the
  organization knows to whom and for what he is
  responsible
• --work associated with each function is divided
  into specialized tasks which can then be
  organized into departments
• --activities associated with accomplishment of
  objectives should be determined in advance

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• --interdependent tasks should be distributed to
  specialists, assigned to departments, and
  coordinated by formally appointed superiors
• --there should be specialization in assignment of
  tasks but with some tasks done in common
  differentiation and specialization is a basic
  characteristic of organization

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Rules Regulations

• The effectiveness of the organization is
  enhanced by the development of standardized
  procedures for routine administrative operation
• --rational organizations provide explicit
  guidelines to order and control behavior
• --these exist so that activity can be
  standardized, thus increasing efficiency

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• --it is assumed that staff will follow the
  prescriptions in manuals and communications from
  superiors
• Rules stabilize and hold together the elaborate,
  complex system of authority, status, and
  technical skills which constitute modern
  bureaucratic organizations. Rules reduce
  uncertainty by eliminating, as far as is
  possible, the influence of individuals and
  creating a permanent and predictable structure of
  relationships independent of the position.
  (Anderson, 1968)

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Impersonality of Interpersonal Relations

• The principle of impersonality promotes
  discipline by separating office from person, thus
  minimizing the significance of personality while
  highlighting the job
• --the nomothetic dimensions of the organization
  is emphasized (attainment of organizational
  goals) to the diminution of the idiographic
  dimension (attainment of individual goals)

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• -- employees are fit to the position and are
  rewarded for their responsiveness unavoidable
  deviations from this pattern are labeled
  informal organizations to signify their
  illegitimacy
• --various control mechanisms are used to increase
  congruence between nomothetic and idiographic
  interests - personal and organizational plan
  specifying performance objectives

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Objectivity in Personnel Policies

• The effectiveness of an organization is enhanced
  by personnel policies which include selecting the
  competent, training the inexperienced,
  eliminating the incompetent, and providing
  incentives for members
• --personnel policies are objective and formalized
• --employment is based on technical competence

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• -- favoritism in hiring and promotion are avoided
  by objectivity in selection and evaluation
• --contracts to specify a level of compensation
  satisfactory to both parties
• --motivation is provided by financial incentives
  linked to performance

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Rational Systematic Processes

• Administrative efficiency is valid only to the
  extent that it contributes to the attainment of
  the goals of the organization, and the extent
  that it meets the requirements of the environment
  for the survival of the organization
• --the rationality of individual problems solving
  and attainment of goals is implicit

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• --given needed information, problem solutions,
  and known choice consequences, individuals will
  follow the course of action that is most
  beneficial to the organization
• --people behavior is goal oriented, rational and
  systematic

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Bureaucracy Forever

• Entrenchment of the
• Root Metaphor

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Linguistic Reinforcement of Bureaucracy

• Efficiency vs Inefficiency
• Calculability vs Unpredictability
• Rational vs Irrational
• Competence vs Incompetence
• Knowledgeability vs Ignorance
• Objectivity vs Subjectivity
• Bureaucracy has linguistic layers
• Militaristic
• Mechanistic
• Capitalist
• Western
• Androcentric

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The military layer

• Line and staff officers
• Chain of command
• Subordinates
• Superordinates
• Discipline
• Task Force
• Standard Operating Procedure
• Span of Control

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Rhetorical Barriers

• Thoughtful planning
• Deliberated decisions
• Forceful leadership
• Responsible action
• Accountability
• Responsiveness
• Efficiency
• Cost effectiveness

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Technology and Bureaucracy

• MIS, PPBS, MBO, PERT
• Marketing Surveys
• Job Descriptions
• Performance Assessment
• Organization charts
• Personnel supervision
• Strategic Planning
• TQM

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Aphorisms of Bureaucracy

• The Buck Stops Here
• The buck never stops in an organization
• Authority must be commensurate with
  responsibility
• Authority and responsibility are almost never
  commensurate
• Look Before You Leap
• Leap for sure, but look it you have time