Bureaucratic Management
Max Weber gave the theory of Bureaucratic Management in 1915. Bureaucracy is a specific form of organization defined by complexity, division of labor, professional management, and hierarchical management control. Weber's theory has two essential elements - organizational hierarchy and rules-based management. Weber made a distinction between authority and power and advocated that authority must be given to the most competent and qualified people.
Bureaucratic management as one of the schools of classical management emphasizes the need for organizations to function based on professional management and hierarchical management control.
Weber (1864-1920), was a contemporary of Fayol and was one of the major contributors to the management school of thought. He observed that nepotism, which is the hiring of relatives in the organization, based on their relationships with owners and regardless of their professional competence, capabilities, and qualities was prevalent in most organizations. Weber (1915) felt that nepotism was not the right way of running an organization, was grossly unjust, and eventually hindered both the progress of individuals as well as growth or organizations. He, therefore, identified the characteristics of an ideal bureaucracy. According to Weber, bureaucracy represents the most efficient organizational design. Taylor emphasized the separation of planning and doing tasks.
Bureaucracy word is derived from the German word 'bur' and means “office”, referred to organizations that operated on a rational basis. According to Weber, "bureaucracy is a highly structured, formalized, and impersonal organization. In other words, it is a formal organization structure with a set of rules and regulations". Many leaders follow the bureaucratic leadership style.
Advantages of Bureaucracy
Nowadays, the term "bureaucracy" is used to denote excessively complicated administrative procedures with multilayered systems and processes. Clubbed with rigidness in operations with mountains of paperwork, procedures, and rules bureaucratic model is believed to slow down an organization's capacity to achieve stated goals. However, the bureaucratic characteristics of organizations outlined by Weber have certain advantages.
- It helps remove ambiguities and inefficiencies that characterize many organizations.
- Undermine the culture of patronage that he saw in many organizations.
- Competence and creativity thrive within a bureaucracy as bureaucracy demands a higher level of education and self-direction.
- The structure of bureaucracy creates more job security and provides a better work-life balance to the employees.
- In a bureaucracy impersonal relationships are formed, equality is respected and provides everyone an equal opportunity to succeed.
- In a bureaucracy, specific roles and duties are assigned that enable managers to supervise work and facilitates a team-based environment.
- It encourages specialization and promotes problem-solving and cost efficiencies by putting the best people at the best jobs.
Sources of Power
Weber also made a distinction between authority and power. Weber believed that power educes obedience through force or the threat of force which induces individuals to adhere to regulations. According to Max Weber, there are three types of power in an organization:-
- Traditional Power
- Charismatic Power
- Bureaucratic Power or Legal Power
Features of Bureaucracy:
- Division of Labor.
- Formal Hierarchical Structure.
- Selection based on Technical Expertise.
- Management by Rules.
- Written Documents.
- Only Legal Power is Important.
- Formal and Impersonal relations.
Suggested Reading and Resources
Related Links
You May Also Like
-
Management Principles by Fayol
Henri Fayol (1849-1925), a French industrialist and a prominent European management theorist, developed a general theory of management. Fayol outlined the fourteen principles of management.
-
Hawthorne Studies - Leadership
The Hawthorne studies were conducted on workers at the Hawthorne plant of the Western Electric Company by Elton Mayo and Fritz Roethlisberger in the 1920s. This study established the behavioral change that happened due to an awareness of being observed, resulting in active compliance with the supposed wishes of researchers, because of special attention received, or positive response to the stimulus being introduced.
-
Taylor’s Scientific Management
Taylor’s theory of scientific management aimed at improving economic efficiency and labor productivity. Taylor had a simple view that money motivated people at work. He felt that workers should get a fair day's pay for a fair day's work, and that pay should be linked to the amount produced. He introduced the differential piece rate system, of paying wages to the workers.
-
McClelland's Theory of Needs is a human motivation theory which states that an individual's specific needs are acquired over time through our culture and life experiences. As per the three needs theory, these acquired needs significantly influence the behavior of an individual. The three main driving motivators are the needs for achievement, affiliation, and power.
-
In today's innovation-driven economy, understanding how to generate great ideas has become an urgent managerial priority. Managers need to encourage and champion ideas and need to help their organizations incorporate diverse perspectives, which spur creative insights and facilitate creative collaboration by harnessing new technologies. Innovation is the embodiment, combination, and/or synthesis of knowledge in original, relevant, valued new products, processes, or services.
-
Modern Approaches to Management
The modern approaches to management look at organizational management in the current context. They take a holistic approach and look at organizations as a collection of interrelated parts influenced by both internal dynamics and also the larger external environment. These modern management theories have played a significant role in the evolution of management studies.
-
In its simplest sense, decision-making is the act of choosing between two or more courses of action. Decision making is a key skill in the workplace and is particularly important if you want to be an effective leader. When decisions have to be made, there are several stages that you should go through to reach a practical solution. Understand the meaning and importance of decision making and how to look at it as a process.
-
Max Weber gave the theory of Bureaucratic Management in 1915. Bureaucracy is a specific form of organization defined by complexity, division of labor, professional management, and hierarchical management control. Weber's theory has two essential elements - organizational hierarchy and rules-based management. Weber made a distinction between authority and power and advocated that authority must be given to the most competent and qualified people.
-
Theory Z also called the "Japanese Management" style is a leadership theory of human motivation focused on organizational behavior, communication, and development. It assumes that employees want to enter into long term partnerships with their employers and peers. Offering stable jobs with an associated focus on the well-being of employees results in increased employee loyalty to the company.
-
Leadership has been defined in different ways by different sets of scholars. In very simple terms leadership can be defined as the skill of a person to influence an individual or a group for achievement of a goal in a given situation. One can use different dimensions and perspectives to define leadership. Through the evolution of leadership thought, leadership has been defined in various ways discussed here.
