Bureaucratic structures tend to be backward-looking, identifying procedures that worked well in the past. This backward perspective creates a conflict with entrepreneurs and innovators who prefer forward-looking concepts and attempt to identify ways in which processes could be improved.
For example, agile processes that make improvements through an iterative process characterized by self-organization and accountability.
Over time, a rigid bureaucracy reduces operational efficiency , particularly compared to rival organizations without large bureaucracies.
Losses in efficiency are most pronounced in circumstances where bureaucracy is also used to insulate established power structures from the competition. Classic bureaucratic rigidity and protectionism are prevalent in the U. For example, firing poor performers is difficult because there is an arduous termination process that has been put in place.
Heskett questioned whether bureaucracy is a good thing in government or private businesses. The article describes bureaucracies as entities that focus on decision rights rather than decision making and states that "they are not created to deliberate or think. Some of the article's contributors who served in government agencies defend the role of bureaucracy while recognizing that reforming bureaucracies could provide greater autonomy to decision-makers.
Another comment noted that the bureaucracy of the U. Roosevelt, also in , whereby many social programs helped the United States to recover from the Great Depression.
The concept of bureaucracy is fairly old, going back to the Han dynasty in China. But the modern interpretation of the idea dates back to 18th century France. The term bureaucracy is a hybrid word whose roots go back to French and Greek. It's made up of the French word bureau , which means desk or office, and the Greek term kratein , which means to rule. The use of these two words together combine to loosely mean ruling by or from a desk or office.
The word was first officially in France used after the French Revolution. From there, the word and concept spread throughout the rest of the world. German sociologist Max Weber was one of the first scholars to use the term and expand its influence. He described the concept in a positive sense and considered the ideal bureaucracy to be both efficient and rational. He believed that bureaucracy clearly defined the roles of the individuals involved and helped narrow the focus of administrative goals.
The term bureaucrat refers to someone who is a member of a bureaucracy. This can allude to someone who is a government official or someone in a position of power, such as a chief executive officer or board member of a company or another organization.
Bureaucracies can help organizations run smoothly and efficiently. This allows large organizations to streamline processes and bring order to systems and procedures. Management becomes easier and processes become less chaotic. Bureaucracies tend to include a division of labor with clearly defined roles. They also ensure that everyone is treated equally and fairly, which means there is no bias toward any one entity. For instance, the government makes everyone fill out the same often cumbersome paperwork for benefits like student loans.
Bureaucracies are often looked down upon because people view them as valuing procedures over efficiency. Many people feel that rules and paperwork can pile up under bureaucracies. This is often referred to as the red tape people and companies need to overcome in order to achieve certain goals like establishing a business.
Rules and regulations can often be difficult to navigate and may even favor some people over others, such as the wealthy. Some of the most common characteristics of a bureaucracy include a hierarchy, rules and regulations, and specialization. The hierarchy establishes scales of power—those with the most power are at the top while individuals who have the least fall at the bottom.
Rules and regulations are typically formal and indicate how processes and functions are to be conducted. Specialization entails the use of training to allow people to do their jobs properly under the structure.
Bureaucracies are all around us from the companies for which we work to the governments that rule our world's countries. They are in place to ensure that things run efficiently and by the book—that is, that people follow the rules, whether that's to conduct health and safety checks while on the job, to get a permit for a building project, or to access government benefits.
As much as they're supposed to help keep everyone on track, bureaucracies are often criticized for being cumbersome and for putting the emphasis on procedure and policy rather than efficiency. Regardless of how you feel about them—whether it's positive or negative—bureaucracies aren't going away. They are, in fact, a part of the structure of many organizations. Harvard Business Review. The bureaucracy is the administrative heart and soul of government.
Policies passed by authoritative decision makers are interpreted and implemented by executive agencies and departments. Created by elected officeholders, bureaucratic organizations exist to perform essential public functions both on a day-to-day basis and, especially, at times of national emergencies.
What is the political status of the federal bureaucracy? What is its power? How does the public view it? Critics of bureaucracy argue that mountains of paper and rules only slow an organization's capacity to achieve stated goals. They also note that governmental red tape costs taxpayers both time and money. Parkinson's Law and the Peter Principle have been formulated to explain how bureaucracies become dysfunctional. Parkinson's Law , named after historian C. Northcote Parkinson, states that work creates more work, usually to the point of filling the time available for its completion.
That is, Parkinson believed that bureaucracies always grow—typically 6 percent annually. Managers wish to appear busy, so they increase their workload by creating paper and rules, filling out evaluations and forms, and filing.
Then they hire more assistants, who in turn require more managerial time for supervision. Parkinson's views remain consistent with those of conflict theorists, who hold that bureaucratic growth serves only the managers, who in turn use their increasing power to control the workers.
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