Organizational Theory - Weber's Idea of Bureaucracy

Weber's Idea of Bureaucracy

  1. Official Jurisdiction on all areas are ordered by rules or laws already implemented.
  2. There is an office hierarchy; a system of super- and subordination in which there is supervision of lower office by higher ones.
  3. The management of the modern office is based upon written rule, which are preserved in original form.
  4. Office management requires that of training or specialization
  5. When the office is developed/established it requires the full working capacity of individuals.
  6. Rules are stable and can be learned. Knowledge of these rules can be viewed as expertise within the bureaucracy (these allow for the management of society)

When a bureaucracy is implemented, they can provide accountability, responsibility, control, and consistency. The hiring of employees will be an impersonal and equal system.

Although the classical perspective encourages efficiency, it is often criticized as ignoring human needs. Also, it rarely takes into consideration human error or the variability of work performances (each worker is different)

Challenger Tragedy: overlooked the possibility of human error. Three Mile Island Incident

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