Introduction Given the subject matter of this essay revolves around bureaucracy, and given that bureaucracy is concerned with rules and order, it seems fitting to first begin with an official definition of the term; "A system of government in which most of the important decisions are made by state officials rather than by elected representatives; a state or organization governed or Jul 26, · The result is an incisively written essay that manages to cover the historical influences of the Protestant Ethic on modern work habits, the pyramidal political structure employed by most large corporate conglomerates, and the capricious nature of success within a sprawling bureaucracy A bureaucracy is a large organization that is designed to achieve a common goal through a hierarchical organization. The classic perspective on bureaucracy was proposed by German sociologist, Max Weber at the beginning of 20th century. Weber developed a theory of authority structures and described organizational activity based on authority relations
Bureaucracy - Words | Essay Example
The concept of bureaucracy stems from the administrative organization of different groups of people in an organization. Many governmental and non-governmental institutions have used bureaucracy to carry out their functions. Nowadays, many people see bureaucracies as inefficient, but history has proved that the concept can effectively instill compatibility in organizational functions. This paper analyzes the concept of bureaucracy through the works of two authors — Weber and Ritzer. This paper also compares the concept of bureaucracy to the works of two more bureaucracy essay, Kafka and Melville. Their works suffice to understand discontents with bureaucracy, as noted by Weber and Ritzer. Lastly, according to the philosophies of Weber and Freud, this paper describes the psychosocial forces that uphold bureaucratic organizations, bureaucracy essay.
Weber said that bureaucratic organizations should be hierarchical, managed by organizational rules, bureaucracy essay, organized by functional specialty, have an unfocused or in-focused vision, purposely impersonal, and demonstrate employment by technical qualification. Indeed, Weber acknowledges that a centralized planning structure controls bureaucratic organizations, through the control of lower levels of administration by higher levels of administration. While explaining the concept of management by rule, Weber said that, lower authorities bureaucracy essay respect decisions made by higher authorities, bureaucracy essay.
Similarly, according to Weber, bureaucratic organizations should treat all employees and customers equally according to the concept of purposely impersonal. Lastly, Weber says that bureaucratic organizations should demonstrate that technical qualifications outline the overarching principle behind employee recruitments. Ritzer introduced the concept of McDonalization to show the similarity of bureaucratic organizations with fast food restaurants, bureaucracy essay. Some observers say that Macdonalization is similar to the concept of rationalization, where traditional thoughts transition into rational modes of thoughts. This is also a key concept in the philosophy of scientific management.
In other words, the concept of bureaucracy emphasizes more on efficiency at the expense of human attributes. This principle is one among five other principles proposed by Ritzer to outline the concept of Mcdonalization. Indeed, Ritzer says there are five main principles of the concept of Mcdonalization and they include efficiency, calculability, predictability, control, and culture. The concept of bureaucracy, as proposed by Weber, is similar to Mcdonalization because bureaucracy focuses on quantity as opposed to quality. The Mcdonalization concept also emphasizes on quantifiable aspects of a product, as opposed to the aesthetic aspects of a product. Furthermore, in such bureaucratic organizations, managers would assess workers, based on how fast they work, not the quality of their work, bureaucracy essay.
Stated differently, bureaucracy pays little regard to the quality of work and the welfare of the workers. Instead, it proposes a mechanical perspective of bureaucracy essay as a factor of production, as opposed to human beings. This is the main reason bureaucracy outlines the work of employees as routine, repetitive and predictable. With such concepts in play, bureaucracy essay, a rational thought that generates through a narrow scope of understanding can lead to irrational and undesirable outcomes. Therefore, bureaucracy essay, Ritzer says that the concept of bureaucracy and Mcdonalization are similar because they both dehumanize organizations and their employees. In other words, Mcdonalization and bureaucracies do not treat people as human beings, but rather, as sources of money.
In a narrative depicting the life of Gregor an office workerKafka and Melville, introduce an interesting understanding of the discontents of bureaucracy, as proposed by Weber. Gregor lost his job when a disastrous misfortune happened in his life. For example, for relying on Gregor as the breadwinner, his family and friends experienced significant difficulties in sustaining their lives when Gregor lost his job. He spent most of his time in the office, away from his family. The psychosocial forces that bind bureaucratic organizations center on the forces that keep different groups together bureaucracy essay the workplace. However, different groups in the workplace need to be cohesive and work for a specific purpose, as proposed by bureaucratic principles.
Through this understanding, it is crucial to introduce the concept of libidinal ties, which uphold group cohesion. In this analysis, it is easy to question why group ties exist, and why they exist for the intended period. To answer this question, Feud says that authority and legitimacy of the leader is the main binding factor, bureaucracy essay. Bureaucracies therefore strengthen these organizational ties by prompting employees to accept a higher authority as the legitimate binding factor in an organization. The above example contrasts with other groups that do not have a leader, or a center of authority. Freud provides bureaucracy essay example in the article titled, Two Artificial Groups: the Church bureaucracy essay the Armywhere he says that an external authority, and not necessarily an authority within the organization, holds certain groups together.
For example, bureaucracy essay, external forces hold churches together. In fact, occasionally, an unseen force say, God may prevent the disintegration of such groups. Bureaucratic organizations however differ from such groups because an internal force bureaucracy essay authority, say managers, holds them bureaucracy essay. The legitimacy of authority as wielded by an individual is therefore a critical psychosocial factor that binds bureaucratic organizations together, and upholds employee unity, bureaucracy essay. The absence of this legitimacy may cause disunity in the organization because people may fall victim to the absence of a binding authority. Therefore, often, people in bureaucratic organizations find solace at this point of authority as their unifying factor.
The legitimization of this force is the main psychosocial force that binds bureaucratic organizations together. After weighing the findings of this paper, bureaucracy stands out as an important bureaucracy essay tool. However, limitations that center on the technical application and mechanization of labor characterize its application. This attribute manifests through the Mcdonalization concept, which highlights how bureaucracy tramples humanistic factors for the benefit of efficiency, calculability, bureaucracy essay, predictability, control, and culture. These factors drive the concept of Mcdonalization.
Kafka and Melville also share the same views because they narrate how bureaucracy substitutes human lives for work. To both authors, bureaucracy presents an inhuman understanding of employees, and the role they play in the workplace. Nonetheless, after evaluating the operations of bureaucratic organizations, and the philosophies as proposed by Weber and Ritzer, we see that psychosocial forces uphold bureaucratic organizations. Weber and Freud acknowledge the role played by legitimization and libitidal ties as the main psychosocial forces that uphold bureaucracy in the workplace. Through these forces, bureaucracies are able to coordinate the work of different employees, thereby establishing group cohesion in the workplace, bureaucracy essay.
The legitimization of a central point of power that controls these groups outlines the main forces surrounding the work of such groups. Broadly, Weber, Ritzer and Feud highlight the main strengths and weaknesses of bureaucracies, plus the implications of these weaknesses in an organization. Need a custom Essay sample written from scratch by professional specifically for you? certified writers online. Introduction The concept of bureaucracy stems from the administrative organization of different groups of people in an organization. Learn More. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly.
Removal Request. If you are the copyright owner of this bureaucracy essay and no longer wish to have your work published on IvyPanda. The Power of the Internet in China: Citizen Activism Online Marijuana: The Issues of Legalization in the USA, bureaucracy essay. GET WRITING HELP. Cite This paper. Copy to Clipboard Copied! APA-7 APA-6 MLA-8 Chicago N-B Chicago A-D Harvard. Bureaucracy essay IvyPanda. Bibliography IvyPanda. Bureaucracy essay IvyPanda. Powered by CiteTotal, automatic reference bureaucracy essay. More related papers. Check the price of your paper.
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Jul 26, · The result is an incisively written essay that manages to cover the historical influences of the Protestant Ethic on modern work habits, the pyramidal political structure employed by most large corporate conglomerates, and the capricious nature of success within a sprawling bureaucracy Bureaucracy essay Words | 11 Pages. Introduction A bureaucracy is a large organization that is designed to achieve a common goal through a hierarchical organization. The classic perspective on bureaucracy was proposed by German Bureaucracy Essay. In our modern world, a bureaucracy is a formal organization that must meet a specific set. of five characteristics as well as have a set purpose, goal, or task the it attempts to accomplish. Bureaucracy holds a very important role in our society and is often the model that businesses and/5(3)
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