THEORIES OF BUREAUCRACY

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Subtitle
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2. Title of the Study
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Adviser: Associate Prof. Alamgir Hossain,
IER, DU.
Presenter: Md. Ziaul Islam
ID: 141500013
Theory of Bureaucracy and its
application in school

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4. Major features
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Sources

5.  Different writers have defined the term bureaucracy in
different ways. The early analysis of bureaucracy is found
in the writings of Marx Weber, Michels and F.M. Marx etc.
They wanted to demonstrate the ways in which the
public sector bureaucracies adversely affected
democratic values, and how this might be remedied. In
modern times, several meanings are attached to this
term :
Bureaucracy as a rule by officials.
Bureaucracy as a rational organisation.
Bureaucracy as organizational inefficiency. 5

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Bureaucracy is an administrative or social system that
relies on a set of rules and procedures, separation of
functions and a hierarchical structure in implementing
controls over an organization, government or socials
stem.

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9.  1. A well-defined division of administrative labor among persons
and offices,
 2. A personnel system with consistent patterns of recruitment and
stable linear careers,
 3. A hierarchy among offices, such that the authority and status are
differentially distributed among actors, and
 4. Formal and informal networks that connect organizational actors
to one another through flows of information and patterns of
cooperation.
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10.  Perhaps the early example of a bureaucrat is the scribe,
who first arose as a professional on the early cities of
Sumer.
 In later, larger empires like Achaemenid Persia,
bureaucracies quickly expanded as government expanded
and increased its functions.
 The most modernesque of all ancient bureaucracies, was
the Chinese bureaucracy. During the chaos of the Spring
and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period,
Confucius recognized the need for a stable system of
administrators to lend good governance even when the
leaders were inept.
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11.  Modern bureaucracies arose in the Industrial Revolution. Along
with this expansion, though, came the recognition of the corruption
and nepotism often inherent with the managerial system, leading to
civil service reform on the large scale in many countries towards the
end of the 19th century.
 The Bureaucratic theory is coined by Max Weber(1864-1920). In
Economy and Society, his seminal book published in 1922, Weber
articulates the necessary conditions and descriptive features of
bureaucracy. An organization governed under Weber’s conception
of bureaucracy is characterized by the presence of impersonal
positions that are earned and not inherited, rule-governed decision-
making, professionalism, chain of command, defined responsibility,
and bounded authority.
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Max Weber (1864–1920)
Synopsis
Born in Germany in 1864, Max Weber was a
precocious child. He went to university and
became a professor, but suffered a mental
breakdown in 1897 that left him unable to
work for five years. In 1905 he published his
most famous work, The Protestant Ethic and
the Spirit of Capitalism. He returned to
teaching in 1918 and died in 1920. He is
considered the father of modern sociology.
Besides, He was an economist, Political
Scientist, Educator, Philosopher, Scholar,
Sociologist, Anti-War Activist, Literary Critic,
Journalist.

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Six features of Bureaucracy:
1. A formal hierarchical structure
2. Management by rules
3. Organization by functional specialty
4. An “up-focused” or “in-focused” mission
5. Purposely impersonal
6. Employment based on technical qualifications

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1. A formal hierarchical structure
Each level controls the level below and is controlled by the
level above. A formal hierarchy is the basis of central
planning and centralized decision making.
2. Management by rules
Controlling by rules allows decisions made at high levels to
be executed consistently by all lower levels.
3. Organization by functional specialty
Work is to be done by specialists, and people are
organized into units based on the type of work they do or
skills they have.

15. 15 4. An "up-focused" or "in-focused" mission
If the mission is described as "up-focused," then the
organization's purpose is to serve the stockholders, the
board, or whatever agency empowered it. If the mission is to
serve the organization itself, and those within it, e.g., to
produce high profits, to gain market share, or to produce a
cash stream, then the mission is described as "in-focused.“
5. Purposely impersonal
The idea is to treat all employees equally and customers
equally, and not be influenced by individual differences.
6. Employment based on technical qualifications
(There may also be protection from arbitrary dismissal.)
The bureaucratic form, according to Parkinson, has another
attribute.

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Summary
Max Weber refined the structure to a more stable, organized and easy-to-
operate framework to avoid the problems of bureaucracy that Americans now
associated with the federal big government. Based on the above six important
characteristics, more effective decision-making and better results were aimed
at. These principles and characteristics were widely received by both the public
and private sectors, and the very basics of a bureaucratic system are actually
based on these six principles proposed by Max Weber in his theory of
bureaucracy.

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• Very few of studies have conducted in the
school with the theory.
• The number of resources is not sufficient.

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http://www.publishyourarticles.net/eng/articles/complete-information-on-bureaucracy-c
(Accessed: 03/28/2015)

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