The Development of Bureaucracy!!!

Bureaucratic Management Approach 

In my previous blog ,I have talked about Taylor’s scientific management theory. The other important theory which constitutes the part of Classical theory of management is:

Bureaucratic Management -Max Weber (1864-1920)

He was one of the pioneers of modern sociology to design an organizational form, called "a bureaucracy."

According to him Bureaucratic management approach emphasized the necessity of organizations to operate in rational way instead of following the arbitrary whims and intentions of managers. He found different characteristics in bureaucracies that would effectively conduct decision-making, controlling resources, protecting workers and accomplishment of organizational goals.

Max weber described five principles of Bureaucratic management approach.

 Principles of Bureaucratic Management Approach

1. Proper Division of Labor
   Division of labor should be fixed and there should be a balance between power and responsibilities.
2. Chain of Command
   The chain of command or organizational hierarchy should be made in such a way that information related to decision flows from top to bottom.
3. Separation of personal and official property
   Owners and organization's assets are separate and has to be treated as same by the owner or the organization.
4. Application of Consistent and Complete Rules
   There should be proper rules and regulations in the organization for running the organization. These rules should be followed in every part of the organization and they are equally applicable to every member of organization.
5. Selection and Promotion Based on Qualifications
   The selection and promotion of workers should be based on equalization's like; skills, experience, age. It should not be influenced by personal relations and benefits.

Features of Bureaucratic Organization

Based on  the principles the characteristics or features of Bureaucratic Organization are as follows:-

• High degree of Division of Labor and Specialization.
• There is a well-defined chain of command.
• It follows the principle of Rationality, Objectively and Consistency.
• The relationship among the member of the organization is Formal and Impersonal relations. And it’s based on positions and not on personalities.
• Rules and Regulations are well defined and it indicates the duties and rights of the employees. These rules apply to everyone from to bottom of organization and must be strictly followed.
• Selection and Promotion is based on Technical qualifications.
• Only Bureaucratic or legal power is given importance.

Criticism of Bureaucratic Organization

Bureaucratic Management Approach of Max Weber also has some fault-lines and received criticism for it.

• The emphasis only on rules and regulations.
• There will be unnecessary delay in decision-making due to formalities and rules of Bureaucratic Organization. 
• Coordination and communication hampered because of too much formality and rules.
• Bureaucracy involves a lot of paper work and has just too much level of authority which results in lot of wastage of time, effort and money. Not ideal for efficiency.
• Because of its too much formality, Bureaucratic approach is not suitable for business organizations. Bureaucratic model may be suitable for government organizations.
• Too much importance is given to the technical qualifications of the employees for promotion and transfers. Dedication and commitment of the employee is not considered.
• Limited scope for Human Resource (HR). No importance is given to informal groups and neither any scope is given to form one.
  

Max Weber’s bureaucratic approach worked as a solution to problems of traditional administrative systems. But it was not the prefect or “close to perfect” solution. The bureaucratic structure gives all the importance and power to the top level management.