Aug 12, 2013

The true nature of Bureaucracy


What is the true nature of bureaucracy?

Bureaucracy emphasizes the call for an organization to operate in a rational manner that effectively responds to an organization’s needs. It doesn’t rely on the selfish whims and caprices of managers and business owners. 

An honest to goodness organizational bureaucratic setup has no room for nepotism, influence peddling and the like. For example, if a person wants to move upward or be promoted in the organizational hierarchy. Under the bureaucratic setup this person must work hard for that promotion. He/She must not employ anyone’s influence or help to be promoted.

According to Max Weber there are five (5) characteristics of an ideal Bureaucracy:
1.  Formal rules and procedures that would ensure organizational order and uniformity.

2. Specialization of Labor that ensures that workers know what are expected of them in their assigned jobs.

3. Impersonality, the hot stove rule applies here there’s no special treatment whatsoever; organizational rules regulations and disciplinary actions are impartially applied.

4. Career advancement is exclusively based on merit. Selection of personnel to be promoted are solely based on employees performance on the job and not based on their connections in  the organization.

5. Well defined hierarchy; every position is clearly defined so that it will establish responsibility and order since every worker in the organization will know where he belongs.

These five (5) are the true nature of a bureaucratic organization.

However, this is not always the situation be it in private or government organization. Because many of these organizations are being plagued by corruption and incompetence. Why? Because they violate with impunity every characteristics of an ideal bureaucracy.

However, it’s not yet late to make things right, if we want organizations to run effectively and be productive. We simply have to strictly follow Max Webber’s five (5) characteristics of an ideal bureaucracy. – Marino J. Dasmarinas