The Bureaucratic Theory Of Max Weber
Max Weber proposed an ethical imperative for bureaucratic behaviour in his ideal-type construction of bureaucracy. Weber emphasises the importance of preventing the abuse of a public position for personal gain.
The six characteristics of bureaucracy identified by Max Weber
1. Task Specialization (Labor Division)
2. Authoritative layers in a hierarchical structure
3. Process of Formal Selection
4. Requirements and Rules
5. Personal indifference and impersonality
6. A career path based on achievement
MAX WEBER
Max Weber was a German sociologist, jurist, and political economist who argued that bureaucracy was the most efficient and rational mode of operation for private businesses and government agencies. Long into the twentieth century, his bureaucratic theories influenced generations of business leaders and politicians.
These are the six characteristics of bureaucracy, according to Weber:
1. Task specialisation is number one (division of labour).
• Task specialisation, according to Weber, promotes the timely completion of work at the highest level of skill.
• Tasks are thus divided into categories in Weber's ideal organisation based on team members' competencies and areas of expertise.
• Employees and departments have clearly defined roles and responsibilities, and they are solely responsible for the work that they excel at.
• This is done to increase the organization's efficiency. It is generally frowned upon to go beyond one's responsibilities, such as presenting new ideas outside of one's department's scope.
2. Hierarchical
• Weber advocated for management to be organised into layers, with each layer responsible for the performance of its own team.
• Weber believed that each layer of management should supervise the layers below them while being controlled by the layers above them.
• As a result, those at the top of the management hierarchy wield the most power, while those at the bottom wield the least.
• The lines of communication, delegation, and responsibility division are all clearly defined in this hierarchical structure.
3. Rules for formal selection.
• Employees should be chosen in the ideal organisation based on their technical skills and competencies, which are acquired through education, experience, or training – no other factors should be considered, according to Weber.
• Employees' salaries are entirely dependent on their position because they are paid for their services, which are divided by job position. Employees have no ownership interest in a company, and contract terms are entirely determined by the organization's rules and regulations.
4. Obligations and rules Employee
• It should always know exactly what is expected of them, according to Weber.
• The rules are clearly defined and strictly enforced in the ideal organisation. This fosters unity within the company and ensures that it runs as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
• If new rules and requirements are needed, higher-level management or directors are in charge of putting them in place and enforcing them.
5. An impersonal setting.
• Employee relationships, according to Weber's theory, should be strictly professional.
• The impersonal environment that bureaucracies create is intended to encourage decision-making that is solely based on facts and rational thought.
• It guards against favouritism and nepotism, as well as outsider involvement and political sway, all of which could jeopardise the organization's mission.
6. Promotion based on performance.
• Weber believed that advancement in a company should be based solely on performance, experience, and technical qualifications.
• Personnel decisions should not be influenced by personal favours, relationships, or personality traits.
According to Weber, there is a clear distinction between organisational property, which is controlled within the sphere of office, and personal property, which is available for the official's personal use.
Although Weber's ideal type construct on bureaucracy is not 'empirical' in a methodological sense, it appears to have taken into account the existential reality of bureaucratic behaviour in cross-national and cross-temporal contexts.
Weber's ideal type of bureaucracy was anything but normative, but the message is clear: "Don't misuse official property for personal gain."
Harold Laski, Carl Friedrich, Victor Thompson, and Warren Bennis, among other critics of real-world bureaucracies, have criticised bureaucrats for violating prescribed moral conduct norms. There is currently a chasm between the 'ideal-type' and the ‘real-type' of bureaucracy. The inconsistencies are far too obvious to be overlooked.