Max Weber Bureaucracy
Assignment 1
Q1a) Describe and evaluate the main features of bureaucracy and the bureaucratic organization. ( (10 marks)
a)
According to Max Weber, bureaucracy is the most efficient and productive way of managing an organization. His ideal bureaucracy is to achieve rationality. The main characteristics of a bureaucratic organization are as follows: Division of Labour, Formal Selection, Authority hierarchy, Impersonality, Formal rules and regulations and Career Orientation.
Division of labour allows workers to focus only on the tasks they are assigned to. Jobs are broken down into simpler routines and well-defined tasks. An example of division of labour would be most obvious in factory assembly lines. Weber thinks that division of labour in an organization is effective, as overtime, it develops practice and familiarity of assigned tasks and workers will become best at what they do, hence, improving the organization’s productivity level. The strength of division of labour is that tasks are less complex and easier to understand. There will be lesser confusion and conflicts at work, hence workers make fewer mistakes, which allow the organization to be more productive. However, the weakness of division of labour is that workers may be unhappy with their work, although the tasks they are assigned to are simple. Workers may find their work too simple that they do not feel a sense of accomplishment, or that they simply feel bored doing their tasks repetitively. Workers may become less competent and hence, cause the productivity level to drop.
Formal selection is a process whereby workers are selected based on their technical qualifications and abilities. This maximizes the productivity level of the organization, as workers are able to perform what they are best at doing. An example would be the Singapore Airlines (SIA), where job applicants are expected to go through thorough rounds of
Q1a) Describe and evaluate the main features of bureaucracy and the bureaucratic organization. ( (10 marks)
a)
According to Max Weber, bureaucracy is the most efficient and productive way of managing an organization. His ideal bureaucracy is to achieve rationality. The main characteristics of a bureaucratic organization are as follows: Division of Labour, Formal Selection, Authority hierarchy, Impersonality, Formal rules and regulations and Career Orientation.
Division of labour allows workers to focus only on the tasks they are assigned to. Jobs are broken down into simpler routines and well-defined tasks. An example of division of labour would be most obvious in factory assembly lines. Weber thinks that division of labour in an organization is effective, as overtime, it develops practice and familiarity of assigned tasks and workers will become best at what they do, hence, improving the organization’s productivity level. The strength of division of labour is that tasks are less complex and easier to understand. There will be lesser confusion and conflicts at work, hence workers make fewer mistakes, which allow the organization to be more productive. However, the weakness of division of labour is that workers may be unhappy with their work, although the tasks they are assigned to are simple. Workers may find their work too simple that they do not feel a sense of accomplishment, or that they simply feel bored doing their tasks repetitively. Workers may become less competent and hence, cause the productivity level to drop.
Formal selection is a process whereby workers are selected based on their technical qualifications and abilities. This maximizes the productivity level of the organization, as workers are able to perform what they are best at doing. An example would be the Singapore Airlines (SIA), where job applicants are expected to go through thorough rounds of