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 social system (“Bureaucracy” par. 1). Basically, it is an administrative system governing through adherence to rules and hierarchical principles. Its ultimate goal is a management of any complex system, so it is fundamentally beneficial. However, it has been proven to be faulty to the extent of gaining a negative connotation, largely by being ineffective and dehumanized.
One of the prominent proponents of bureaucracy was a German sociologist Max Weber. In his work Economy and Society, he established many principles of bureaucracy as a social phenomenon, which are still used today. He argued that impersonal hierarchical structure is the most effective way of managing a complex society and that it eliminates subjectivity and ensures order and rationality (Swedberg and Agevall 28). His vision of the bureaucratic machine implies legal basis for decision and lack of favorability. Basically, his concept strips the participants of all personality or free will replacing it with compliance with rules.
In a perfect world, bureaucracy works in accordance with principles of utilitarianism. This means every person appointed to a certain position in a bureaucratic machine, no matter big or small, does something he or she is good at with maximum efficiency, thus benefiting the society. The Weber’s vision of bureaucracy also implies absolute and undisputed objectivity by separation of office and family (Allan 34).
There are problems with these assertions as soon as this model is applied in a real world. Bureaucracy is devised to rule out the complexities, by applying definitive regulations for every situation and eliminating the human factor at any stage. However, the participants of the process may fall victims to the very same complexities they are expected to battle. For instance, an office worker may (and, in fact, often does) choose to comply with the formal rules to decline the inquiry, which gives him an opportunity to evade the need to do extra work to solve an issue (Johnson and Libecap 4). Thus, the means override the initial goal of the institution because of the human factor.
Another major drawback of the bureaucratic structure lies within its hierarchical nature and usually described as the Iron Law of Oligarchy. This concept was described by Robert Michels, a German sociologist. Michels argued that any hierarchical organization, no matter how democratic initially, will eventually be bound by abuse of power by its higher officials (Leach 315). Michels has supplied his initial assumption with contemporary examples (Hyland 41), which have not diminished since, further proving the susceptibility to the human factor and the utopian nature of the initial concept of bureaucracy.
When it comes to the individual perception of the bureaucratic machine at work, the impression will likely be negative. This is mostly due to the fact that the machine is unnoticeable when it functions appropriately. In fact, the positive impressions are likely to occur only in comparison to prior negative ones. Every time I effortlessly obtain a document I need, I witness the bureaucracy done right. However, it hardly makes a good story. On the other hand, when I face any of its side effects described above, I will likely be vocal about it. My friend, who is a refugee trying to settle in a CIS country, has recently shared his experience of being refused to get a certain document. The document which certified his residential address turned out to be insufficient because it lacked an addendum that would certify him being alive.
This is obviously a procedural flaw, but the bureaucracy usually suffers even more from dehumanization. This issue can be addressed, in my opinion, in two points: by devising strategies for solving out-of-bounds issues while at the same time prioritizing the goals over means. While easier said than done, it can be at least a promising direction.
Works Cited
Allan, Kenneth. Explorations In Classical Sociological Theory, Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press, 2005. Print.
“Bureaucracy“. Investopedia. 2008. Web.
Hyland, James L. Democratic Theory, Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1995. Print.
Johnson, Ronald N. and Gary D. Libecap 1994, The Federal Civil Service System and The Problem of Bureaucracy. PDF file. 2016. Web.
Leach, Darcy K. “The Iron Law Of What Again? Conceptualizing Oligarchy Across Organizational Forms.” Sociological Theory 23.3 (2005): 312-337. Print.
Swedberg, Richard, and Ola Agevall. The Max Weber Dictionary, Stanford, California: Stanford Social Sciences, 2005. Print.