Weber was a German scholar. He provided a model of ideal organisation and said that an ideal organisation would be bureaucratic organisation.
According to Weber, to improve the productivity and achieve efficiency it is necessary to structure organisation on bureaucratic model. Bureaucratic organisation is the best and efficient organization. It is based on formal and legitimated system of authority. Authority can be defined as legitimated power given to a person in organisation.
Weber didn't provide any definition of bureaucracy but he deduced that as an organisation grow in its size, number of staff increase , conflict and complexity will increase and then a formal system of authority, rule, specialization and impersonal judgement will be needed to manage the organisation.
He founded five basic characteristics of an bureaucratic organisation
1. The organization should establish a hierarchy of positions or offices that creates a chain of command from the top of the organization to the bottom.- Hierarchy of positions means there should be a distribution of power and responsibility among officials.
Hierarchy of authority makes for a sharp distinction between administrators and the administered, or between management and workers. Within the management ranks there are clearly defined levels of authority. This detailed and precise stratification is particularly marked in the armed forces and in the civil service.
2.The organization should adopt a distinct division of labor, specialization and each position should be filled by an expert.- Bureaucracy is managed by experts. Experts of Marketing will head marketing department. for example only a person having specialization in Marketing can be the head of marketing operations. An engineer having qualification and technical knowledge of Production can be the head of production. An finance person can be the head of finance department. Thus the similar jobs are grouped together and performed by specialists.
3. The organization should develop a consistent set of rules to ensure that task performance is uniform.
Each work will be done on the basis of predetermined set of rules, and if any problem arises it will be dealt with according to the rules and policies which are made in advance. System of rules aims to provide for an efficient and impersonal operation. The system of rules is generally stable, although some rules may be changed or modified with time. Knowledge of the rules is a requisite of holding a job in a bureaucracy
4. Managers should conduct business in an impersonal way and maintain an appropriate social distance between themselves and their subordinate-
means that allocation of privileges and the exercise of authority should not be arbitrary, but in accordance with the laid-down system of rules. In more highly developed bureaucracies there tend to be carefully defined procedures for appealing against certain types of decisions
5. Employment and advancement in the organization should be based on technical expertise, and employees should be protected from arbitrary dismissal.
Criticism of Bureaucracy:
Weber’s concept of bureaucracy has a number of disadvantages and has been subject tosevere criticism.
■ The over-emphasis on rules and procedures, record keeping and paperwork may become more important in its own right than as a means to an end.
■ Officials may develop a dependence upon bureaucratic status, symbols and rules.
■ Initiative may be stifled and when a situation is not covered by a complete set of rules or procedures there may be a lack of flexibility or adaptation to changing circumstances.
■ Position and responsibilities in the organisation can lead to officious bureaucratic behaviour. There may also be a tendency to conceal administrative procedures from outsiders.
■ Impersonal relations can lead to stereotyped behaviour and a lack of responsiveness to individual incidents or problems.
According to Weber, to improve the productivity and achieve efficiency it is necessary to structure organisation on bureaucratic model. Bureaucratic organisation is the best and efficient organization. It is based on formal and legitimated system of authority. Authority can be defined as legitimated power given to a person in organisation.
Weber didn't provide any definition of bureaucracy but he deduced that as an organisation grow in its size, number of staff increase , conflict and complexity will increase and then a formal system of authority, rule, specialization and impersonal judgement will be needed to manage the organisation.
He founded five basic characteristics of an bureaucratic organisation
1. The organization should establish a hierarchy of positions or offices that creates a chain of command from the top of the organization to the bottom.- Hierarchy of positions means there should be a distribution of power and responsibility among officials.
Hierarchy of authority makes for a sharp distinction between administrators and the administered, or between management and workers. Within the management ranks there are clearly defined levels of authority. This detailed and precise stratification is particularly marked in the armed forces and in the civil service.
2.The organization should adopt a distinct division of labor, specialization and each position should be filled by an expert.- Bureaucracy is managed by experts. Experts of Marketing will head marketing department. for example only a person having specialization in Marketing can be the head of marketing operations. An engineer having qualification and technical knowledge of Production can be the head of production. An finance person can be the head of finance department. Thus the similar jobs are grouped together and performed by specialists.
3. The organization should develop a consistent set of rules to ensure that task performance is uniform.
Each work will be done on the basis of predetermined set of rules, and if any problem arises it will be dealt with according to the rules and policies which are made in advance. System of rules aims to provide for an efficient and impersonal operation. The system of rules is generally stable, although some rules may be changed or modified with time. Knowledge of the rules is a requisite of holding a job in a bureaucracy
4. Managers should conduct business in an impersonal way and maintain an appropriate social distance between themselves and their subordinate-
means that allocation of privileges and the exercise of authority should not be arbitrary, but in accordance with the laid-down system of rules. In more highly developed bureaucracies there tend to be carefully defined procedures for appealing against certain types of decisions
5. Employment and advancement in the organization should be based on technical expertise, and employees should be protected from arbitrary dismissal.
Criticism of Bureaucracy:
Weber’s concept of bureaucracy has a number of disadvantages and has been subject tosevere criticism.
■ The over-emphasis on rules and procedures, record keeping and paperwork may become more important in its own right than as a means to an end.
■ Officials may develop a dependence upon bureaucratic status, symbols and rules.
■ Initiative may be stifled and when a situation is not covered by a complete set of rules or procedures there may be a lack of flexibility or adaptation to changing circumstances.
■ Position and responsibilities in the organisation can lead to officious bureaucratic behaviour. There may also be a tendency to conceal administrative procedures from outsiders.
■ Impersonal relations can lead to stereotyped behaviour and a lack of responsiveness to individual incidents or problems.
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