Max Weber †Bureaucracy Essay

Describe the principles of establishment (sometimes make loven as the true organisations principles) in a bureaucratism. What atomic number 18 the pros and cons of working in a bureaucratism? What was Max Webers contribution to the study of bureaucracy?At the beginning of the 20th Century, after the industrial revolution began, theories of absolute precaution began to emerge. The industrial revolution was a massive seconding point in history and the economic market was transformed for the collapse. The world average capita increase all over tenfold (Maddison, Angus. The World providence Historical statistics, 2003). With the increase in the average income, on that point was an increase in argumentations. The downside to this was that passenger vehicles had a bigger workforce to deal with and were unsure how to ingest them and deal with them profession tout ensembley and effectively. Henri Faylor was considered to be the install away of the classical school of organ isation. In 1916, he constructed 14 principles or organisation that could be applied worldwide and in all workplaces. His 14 principles be as follows 1 Division of labour- allocate tasks to specific workers, and then they know their job 2 Authority- Management argon in charge and bound orders3 Discipline- absorbees listen to these orders4 Unity of command- only when oneness victor gives orders5 Unity of direction- One autobus, one plan6 supremacy of Individual Interests to the general interests- Business comes first and foremost 7 Remuneration- dependable wage to all workers8 Centralisation- the allocated decision makers9 Scalar chain- discourse goes through the chain of command 10 Order- allocated place for employees and materials11 Equity- unselfishness and fairness from employer to provide12 Stability of tenure of personnel- keep ply turnover to a low 13 Imitative- praise and reward employees who stockpile out tasks without being asked 14 Espirit de corps keep te am chaste highFaylor, along with Max Weber studied management roles and believed they base a revolutionary way in which managers should be ask in the workplace, train and react towards their staff to increase merchandiseivity, so profits. Their theories and principles (though control been tweaked and slightly updated) have lasted the test of time and are still being affaird in many workplaces today. There are three assumptions ground on the classical theory 1-The relationship between employees and management is specify by gist of formal constructiond communication process, defined 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 hardened as economic man who can be incite by means of money only. 3-Workers have been considered as a product of means of production or as a cog in the wheel. (external Research Jo urnal of Finance and Economics-Issue 41, pg 61, 2010)The theories and principles of classic management play a major bust in bureaucracy. The rules and guidelines of bureaucracy are very(prenominal) heart-to-heart and can be identified easily. The higher(prenominal) up in the beau monde you are, the more power and dominance you have. The lower you are placed in the play along you will 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 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 discharge out specialised tasks. 4-Responsibilities and job descriptions from each one employee follows their allocated job. They know what is exactly needed from them at work. 5-Line and staff functions Staff 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 successful phone line. Weber felt that too many businesses were being ran on a personal take aim and that owners/managers should not treat their staff as friends, buttheir attitude towards their subordinates should be strictly skipper. 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 make would be given to members of staff based on their hard work value-system and not on their personality or personal relationship with the the employer. Weber outlined the charcteristics of bureaucracy as fol lows 1-A continuous organisation of official functions are bound by rules. 2-Specialised Staff know exactly what is expect 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 aware of them. 5-Impersonal- equality to all. No hatred or favourtism.6-Free filling of appointed officials- officials are appointed through qualifications and not through yield 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 semiprivate life are completely seperate. 10-Discipline and control at bottom the workplace.(www.HRMguide.com)Bureaucracy made modern civilisation possible (DuBrin, Andrew, Management essentials, 2012, pg265) Bureaucracy is severely mandatory in large firms without it there would not be structure and therefore the businesses would not run in an ord erly manner, therefore would not flesh out and expand. Without expanding businesses we would not have the privilidge of such advanced technologies, certain medicines and many new(prenominal) 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 good at their job, it gives them confidence in what theyre doing, therefore makes them more at ease inwardly their workplace. Rules and guidelines are explained to them from the outset, so discrepancies are principal(prenominal)ly 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 ca geof control. This refers 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 dude sociologists. Argytis (1957) argued that people who follwed classical management theories were more likely to be hard-pressed and fail within the workplace. He felt that people working within a state are treated like children, they work to a short term perspective and have minimal control over their working lives adults dont respond easily to being treated this way at work and therfore will not respond healthful towards the company/business. Another discriminate 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 included in h is theories. When a bereacratic form has been implimented within a workplace, its very hard to remove, so therefore employers who wish 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 let loose 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 save 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 fewer 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 th e flat structure. As there are fewer hierarchical levels there is less administrative distance between grades which makes communication a tie easier. It also makes the organisation alot more personal without contradicting Webers principle of keeping professional relationships. Also, as the span of control is so vast it is vital to employ competent employees to ensure a smooth operational process, resulting in a better workforce and meeting business objectives. However the main disadvantage of this structure is perhaps the authoritarian structure itself.In order for this structure to function properly there must be a certain(prenominal) 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 practically construct a problem, as there is no difference in authority b etween 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 motivated workforce. Certain orginisations require this form of structure, one of the best(p) examples being the military and its rank structure. It has many levels of authority, which is more effective when relations with instant decisions and rapid adaptations on the ground. Other organisations like this are the fire 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. Essential s 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