Max Weber †Bureaucracy Essay

Describe the principles of organisation (sometimes hunchn as the continent organisations principles) in a bureaucracy. What atomic number 18 the pros and cons of disciplineing in a bureaucracy? What was Max Webers contribution to the study of bureaucracy?At the beginning of the 20th Century, after the industrial revolution began, theories of chaste human universesagement began to emerge. The industrial revolution was a massive turning point in history and the sparing market was transformed for the better. The world average capita increased over tenfold (Maddison, Angus. The knowledge domain Economy historic statistics, 2003). With the increase in the average income, on that point was an increase in chisels. The downside to this was that theatre directors had a bigger workforce to assume with and were unsure how to train them and deal with them masterly and effectively. Henri Faylor was considered to be the founder of the uncorrupted school of organisation. In 1916, he constructed 14 principles or organisation that could be applied worldwide and in all told workplaces. His 14 principles argon as follows 1 Division of labour- allocate tasks to specific workers, and then they know their job 2 Authority- management atomic number 18 in charge and give orders3 Discipline- employees listen to these orders4 Unity of command- only oneness superior gives orders5 Unity of direction- One manager, one plan6 Subordination of Individual Interests to the familiar interests- Business comes first and foremost 7 Remuneration- Fair wage to all workers8 Centralisation- the allocated decision makers9 Scalar chain- communication goes through the chain of command 10 Order- allocated place for employees and materials11 Equity- kindness and righteousness from employer to staff12 Stability of tenure of personnel- keep staff turnover to a low 13 Imitative- praise and reward employees who trickle protrude tasks without being asked 14 Espirit de corps keep team obje ct lesson highFaylor, along with Max Weber studied management roles and believed theyfound a revolutionary direction in which managers should be hold up in the workplace, train and react towards their staff to increase fruitivity, thereof profits. Their theories and principles (though have been tweaked and close to updated) have lasted the test of time and are still being used in many workplaces today. thither are three assumptions based on the classical theory 1-The relationship between employees and management is delineate by means of formal mental synthesisd communication process, define tasks, defined accountability, and formalised procedures and practices, defined tasks, defined accountability, and formalised procedures and practices to avoid any conflict in their relationship. 2-Workers have been treated as economic man who can be prompt by means of money only. 3-Workers have been considered as a product of means of production or as a cog in the wheel. (International Research Journal of pay and Economics-Issue 41, pg 61, 2010)The theories and principles of classic management play a major part in bureaucracy. The rules and guidelines of bureaucracy are rattling clear and can be identified easily. The higher(prenominal) up in the company you are, the much queen and government agency you have. The lower you are placed in the company you lead have little to no authority. The principles of bureaucracy are as follows 1- Hierarchy of authority Managers sit at the top of the hierarchy. They give orders and commands and their subordinates must(prenominal) obey. 2-Unity of command each member of staff deal with one superior and only one They will deal with this superior for all reasons concerning work tasks, problems etc 3-Task specialisation workers with specialised knowledge will use this to carry out specialised tasks. 4-Responsibilities and job descriptions Each employee follows their allocated job. They know what is exactly necessitate from them at work. 5-Line and staff partings stave managers are there to serve the company and to help make it a success. Staff mangers are non there to carry out primary purposes. (DuBrin, Andrew, Essentials of management, pg257, 2009)Max Webers part in classical management is very much geared towards bureaucracy and believed its the most efficent way to organise a self-made business. Weber felt that too many businesses were being ran on a personal level and that owners/managers should not treat their staff as friends, buttheir attitude towards their subordinates should be strictly professional. Weber argued that a professional relationship would not only be beneficial to the buisness, but also to the staff. Staff would know their job role clearly and any promotions made would be given to members of staff based on their labored work ethic and not on their personality or personal relationship with the the employer. Weber depict the charcteristics of bureaucracy as follows 1-A cont inuous organisation of official functions are bound by rules. 2-Specialised Staff know exactly what is expected of the. 3-A clearly defined hierachy of offices- Each official knows who to report to. 4-Rules are clear and all members of staff are made cognizant of them. 5-Impersonal- equality to all. No hatred or favourtism.6-Free selection of appointive officials- officials are appointed through qualifications and not through bias or favour. 7-Full-time paid officials- the higher the hirearchy rank, the higher the pay. 8-Career officials- promotions is based only on merit and not by favour. 9-Private/public split business and backstage life are completely seperate. 10-Discipline and admit at bottom the workplace.(www.HRMguide.com)Bureaucracy made modern civilisation affirmable (DuBrin, Andrew, Management essentials, 2012, pg265) Bureaucracy is severely required in large firms without it there would not be structure and therefore the businesses would not run in an orderly ma nner, therefore would not thrive and expand. Without expanding businesses we would not have the privilidge of such advanced technologies, certain medicines and many other luxuries we all enjoy today. Labour is divided out in a bureaucracy, therfore all staff members know there job and what is exactly expected of them. If an employee is easily at their job, it gives them confidence in what theyre doing, therefore makes them more(prenominal) at ease within their workplace. Rules and guidelines are explained to them from the outset, so discrepancies are generally kept to a minimum. As I outlined before, bureaucracy allows those within a workplace to be promoted on the basis of their skills and work ethic rather than being promoted because of their personality orpersonal relationship with higher management.Weber highly advocated his principles, but he was also aware that it would not be without fault. He even pointed out a fault of bureaucracy himself Iron cageof control. This refer s to Webers feelings that when individuals work within a bureaucracy, they get trapped in a system that is purely based on teleological effeiceny, rational calculation and control (www.corwin.com) Webers views on bureacracy have also come under scrutiny from fellow sociologists. Argytis (1957) argued that mass who follwed classical management theories were more likely to be unhappy and fail within the workplace. He felt that people working within a democracy are treated like children, they work to a short term thought and have minimal control over their working lives adults dont respond well to being treated this way at work and therfore will not respond well towards the company/business. another(prenominal) disadvantage of working in a democracy is what is referred to as Red Tape. This refers to all the paperwork and procedures that is required when working in a demococracy. Webers views were that this negative impact was not meant to be include in his theories. When a bereacra tic form has been implimented within a workplace, its very hard to remove, so therefore employers who concupiscence to change the dynamics of their business and get away from a bureacratic form may find this a very lenghtly and costly process to do so. Generally, companies want their staff to use their time at work produtively and effectively time is wasted in a bureaucracy as the chain of command is used, therefore employees speak to their senior, who then report to theirs and so forth. If an employee were able to go straight to the manager in charge, this would sustain time and money profit in a company is crucial to keep it running.There are two main types of organisation structure. The flat structure and the tall structure. The flat structure represents organisations with few levels in the hierarchy which have a broad control span, as opposed to the tall structure which has more levels however more focused areas of control. There are many benefits of the flat structure. As there are fewer hierarchical levels there is less administrative distance between grades which makes communication a treat easier. It also makes the organisation alot more personal without contradicting Webers principle of memory professional relationships. Also, as the span of control is so vast it is vital to employ competent employees to fancy a smooth operational process, resulting in a better workforce and meeting business objectives. even so the main disadvantage of this structure is perhaps the authoritarian structure itself.In order for this structure to function properly there must be a definite split between superiors and suborinates otherwise the authority levels are undermined. Group conflicts are more likely in a them versus us situation, and if a manager socialises with their staff they are merging the statuses of the groups. Communications between subordinates often become a problem, as there is no difference in authority between the grades. Then there is the tall structure, which many people often prefer because of the number of hierarcical levels. This gives more scope for promotion prospects which in turn generates a do workforce. Certain orginisations require this form of structure, one of the best examples being the military and its rank structure. It has many levels of authority, which is more effective when dealing with instant decisions and rapid adaptations on the ground. Other organisations like this are the drop off service, police and hospitals.So both structures have pros and cons, and work well in different situations. Whichever structure may fit the organisation better it is plain to see that a bureaucracy benefits it more than it would disadvantage it. creation in a bureaucracy is better for the company, and the staff within it, resulting in a better managed and motivated workforce which is turn increases productivity and professionalism.BibliographyDuBrin, Andrew. Essentials of management, 2009.DuBrin, Andrew. Essentials of management, 2012.International Research Journal of finance and economics issue 41, 2010Maddison, Angus. The World Economy Historical statistics, 2003www.corwin.com (visited site on 12/11/2012)www.HRM.guide.com (visited site on 12/11/2012Word count including quotes and references-1722