Bureaucracy and Formal Organizations

Application of “Bureaucracy and Formal Organizations”

A good example of bureaucracy is the movie, “Office Space.” If you have not seen this movie it is definitely a must see.

Also note, there is a sitcom called “The Office” that also applies…it is very sociological.

Characteristics of Bureaucracies
There has been a definite hierarchy at every formal organization I have ever worked for. Every place I have ever worked has given me an organizational chart (or hierarchy of demand). This has given me information on where I fall in the hierarchy, or in other words, shown me how low I was on the totem poll! There is always a clear division of labor. We are always given a job description that tells us exactly what is expected of us and what our duties are. There are written rules usually in the form of a policy and procedure manual. Remember you are supposed to read the entire manual and sign that you have done so…most of us do not read the entire manual! There are written communications and records of everything that occurs…everything you do is written in your file. Why do they do this? Finally, the bureaucracy is impersonal. How many of you have personally met the president or vice president of the company and he or she actually knows your name? Actually, this is something presidents should do as individuals would feel important and would result in a lower turnover rate. (Image courtesy of imagerymajestic/FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Dysfunctions of Bureaucracies
Red tape is a major problem. The idea is “a rule is a rule” and there are specific procedures in order to accomplish any task. A friend of mine is a police officer. He noticed that just about every day there was a car accident in the same spot in his “beat.” He immediately noticed that the problem was that there was a curve on the street as well as a tree that was blocking the view of a stop sign ahead. So, can he just get a “stop ahead” sign and put it in the ground? No, he had to go through the red tape (proposal, pictures of the area, review board, etc.). It took about 8-9 months to get the sign. Think of all of the accidents that could have been prevented! Many individuals feel alienated (Marx, proletariat). Think of the assembly line worker who never sees the end result of his or her labor. The assembly line worker who puts a screw in, never sees the car completely built, and never sees the buyer drive off with the wind blowing in his or her hair! We resist alienation by personalizing our workspace, forming groups, and forming friendships at work (see text). The alienated bureaucrat feels like an object, especially if memos have replaced all face-to-face interactions. Bureaucratic incompetence is also a major problem (Peter Principle). We have this expectation today that if we do a good or even decent job we will be promoted and move up the hierarchy; however, just because we are good at one position does not mean that we will excel at the next level. The idea is that we are promoted for good work until we reach a level of incompetence. A person can be incompetent at the next level but do we immediately demote or fire him or her? Well, then we have to go through all of the red tape to do so. A good example was from the series “Band of Brothers” (HBO). There was a sergeant who was seen as the best at training soldiers to fight in battle. His soldiers were always the best. So they promoted him to actually lead the soldiers in battle. He was incompetent at that level as he could not handle the stress, could not read the map, and led them into enemy territory. You can see how red tape could pose a major problem in some instances as in this example it could cost lives.

Iron Law of Oligarchy (Michel)
What is the problem with a small elite group of individuals dominating our formal organizations? Do we see a perpetuation of this small elite group? How do we get inside this inner circle? Do the elite hire and promote like people, or people similar to them? How does this affect the mobility of some very capable people? Think about women “breaking” into male dominated fields. Are these women less likely to become the major decision makers in these fields? Why? What happens if the major business transactions take place after work during social hour or on the golf course? Are women automatically left out (self-fulfilling prophecy)? You could also apply this issue to other minority groups.

Humanizing the Work Setting (Ritzer)
Why is humanizing the work setting in the best interest of the formal organization? How do we humanize the work setting? How do corporations humanize the work setting? Are these companies altruistic? Or, is profit the motive?

Bureaucracy and Formal Organizations – Some things to think about:

What are the components of a traditional orientation society? What are the components of a rational orientation society? What type of society are we?
What led to the shift in society to formal organizations?
What happens as group sizes get larger?
What are the characteristics of bureaucracies (Weber)? Think of specific examples.
What are the dysfunctions of bureaucracies (Weber)? Think of specific examples.
What is the “Iron Law of Oligarchy” (Michel)?
What is the “problem of oligarchy”?
What is the “Hidden Corporate Culture”? Is it in the best interest of the small elite group to maintain their dominance? Do they make sure their offspring also end up part of the elite? How?
How do we humanize the work setting and what is the purpose of doing so?
How does the Japanese corporation differ from the American corporation?

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