Bureaucracy is No Longer Appropriate Today

bureaucratism, first proposed by Weber, was at once considered as the best fake of administration, coordination and interpret (Stazyk and Goerdel 2011). It was generally adopted by numerous monolithic complaisant organizations and gradually became their mode of administration (Adler 1999). During the initial period of bureaucratism, it made great contri bution to the proper organizing of stupendous social or corporate system through specialization of roles, standardization of procedures and coordination of employees (Balle 1999). However, with succession going by, the shortages and problems inside bureaucracy were exposed.It was revised and mitigaten by many a(prenominal) people. A model called post-bureaucracy was proposed to avoid and revise the disadvantage of bureaucracy (Johnson et al. 2009). The groom of this screen is to discuss the major advantages and disadvantages of bureaucratic systems in the quondam(prenominal) and the present. This examine argues that bure aucracies are by all odds not inhibit in micturateplaces forthwith for potent and efficient way. At first, this essay entrust give an appropriate interpretation of bureaucracy and illuminate who has contributed to its development by referring Dwyer (2005) and Hodgson (2004).After that, found on the investigate of Balle (1999), Adler (1999), Hodgson (2004),Walton (2005), Sorensen (2007), Dwyer (2005) , Hales (2002), Stazyk and Goerdel (2011), this essay will critically analyze the advantages and disadvantages of bureaucracy in the early(prenominal) and present, and in particular, imp acquits on managers and employees. Following that, this easy will analyze how bureaucratic focusing whitethorn be viewed differently instantly from the past by referring Johnson et al. (2009). Whats to a greater extent, this easy will explore the context of trouble situations.It will also critically analyze whether bureaucracies are appropriate for todays guidance based on the research o f Walton (2005) and Hales (2002). At last this essay will sum up the subject matter arguments this essay presents. Definition of bureaucracy and its development Bureaucracy is a kind of apt organization of precaution, which is concentrate and hierarchically organized. It is characterized by a rigid division of labor, layers of authority, impersonal relationships and formalistic rules and procedures (Dwyer 2005).The historical process of bureaucracy theory, from proposal to evolution, was integrated with the contribution of numerous theorists and practiti unityrs. In the early 20th century, Weber first proposed his saint suit of bureaucracy (Adler 1999). His idea laid the foundation of organization theory. The i circulate role of bureaucracy had a profound effect on the stylus large social organizations organized. It helped big organizations avoid chaos and assure efficiency.However, as an ideal model, many scholars criticized, revised and improved Webers ideal symbol of b ureaucracy and made their own contribution to the development of it (Dwyer 2005 Hodgson 2004). For example, Taylor founded the Scientific trouble School and it emphasizes maximum productivity and compact division of labor (Dwyer 2005). mayonnaise began and developed tender-hearted relations school and it emphasizes the free of backwardnesss of bureaucracy (Dwyer 2005). Heckscher proposed post-bureaucracy and postulated specific difference between the traditional bureaucracy and the post-bureaucratic model (Hodgson 2004).All these schools above, as thoroughly as many other advanced theories and approaches, have contributed to the development of bureaucracy. The inherent advantages and disadvantages of bureaucratic system in the past and the present will be discussed as follows. Advantages of bureaucracy Bureaucracy provides a good way to deal with large organizations. In the past, organizations were privation of theoretical guidelines of counselling. Balle (1999) claims that duplication of labor, low train of resources utilization and inefficiency of pass existed in large-scale organizations before the proposal of bureaucratic management.At present, many large organizations still organize their management in the form of bureaucracy to avoid chaos (Adler 1999). Bureaucracy provides a series of documents that even off out the take a craping procedures as well as rigid rules and regulations to make organizations disappear properly (Hodgson 2004). Even in todays organization, documents and manuals are provided to make employees know exactly their roles. Organizations operate as a machine. Managers give orders opus employees act as components and parts of the machine with the guidance of bureaucratic management.They work cooperatively, concertedly and thus effectively. According to the guidance, employees know exactly what they should do and managers would have a chance of supervising anyone in the company. For example, the long-lasting feudal model has proved the advantage of bureaucratic system to manage such a large whale (Balle 1999). The effective control of organizations and efficient use of resources make large-scale production possible. Specialization is another feature of bureaucratic organizations as every employee is allocated to a particular task to perform.In the past, it was human resources not machines that constructed the basic creative force in organizations. So it is of great importance to deploy the human resources (Johnson et al. 2009). Even today, employees in the large organizations have clear assignment of work and responsibility. Bureaucratic management emphasizes the clear division of work and specific boundaries to responsibilities. So employees dismiss concentrate more on his or her specialized plow and learn more about it (Balle 1999). The result is more, better and cheaper productions.For example, like a flow production, employees just focus on their own part of work and need not take care of oth ers. A production is perfect when all the work of employee is combined. The coordination of employees and explicit division of work will enlarge the speed of production and save more m (Adler 1999). The result is the betterment of the efficiency of the production system. Whats more, with the clear awareness of the role of employees, managers fag end properly manage employees and allocate resources. Then the metier of management apprize be improved.Bureaucratic system needs fewer individuals to make strategic decisions based on its hierarchical complex body part and decision-making time can be shorter. immediately, love both(prenominal) result to the market and rapid decision-making are possible because of the hierarchical structure of bureaucratic system. The hierarchical structure is like a gain with employees on its bottom and managers on its top (Hales 2002). In the past, in traditional organizations many relevant individuals took part in the decision-making meeting. The meeting might be held one round and another to reach a common agreement.It is a looseness of time and may be inefficient. In contrast, fewer individuals from the top of pyramid are involved in making strategic decision with the bureaucratic management (Stazyk and Goerdel 2011). This will shorten the decision-making time and free the organizations of the risk of lose opportunities. As a consequence, the response time to the market is reduced and the patness of production is improved (Adler 1999). In this way the efficiency of production can be improved. However, as an ideal type of mode, bureaucracy also has some inherent disadvantages. Disadvantages of bureaucracyBureaucratic organizations are generally found to be rigid and strict because employees should strictly abide by the formalized rules, regulations and documents. Nowadays, the society is ever-changing with the time and bureaucratic systems are viewed as red tape and rule proliferation (Stazyk and Goerdel 2011). Wi th the changing conditions in the marketplace or industry, organizations constrained by rigid and resolute rules and regulations can find themselves less able to fit the rapid changing surroundings (Walton 2005). The change of rules and regulations may be much slower than the interpretation of marketing or industrial environment.Much of the urgencies may fail to be dealt with because of the restraint of rigid and sturdy rules and regulations. The result is an inefficient management. In the past, to make the large-scale organization operate normally, the human side of things is ignored and rules and regulations are emphasized. merely nowadays, people-oriented management emphasizes the empowerment and indecorum instead of rules and regulations (Dwyer 2005). Bureaucratic organizations may warn creativeness and cosmos because employees must perform the task according to a set of rigid procedures.As the key factors to compete with various counterparts, creativity and innovation are emphasized more today than the past in organizations (Hales 2002). nevertheless to bureaucratic organizations, rigid or even outdated rules and regulations place so many unnecessary limits on employees (Adler 1999). They can barely think and act of their own. When employees confront problems that need a new solution, their new ideas may be prevented by the restrictiveness of bureaucracy. Whats more, in bureaucratic systems employees are lack of initiative, sexual love and sharing of ideas. This will lead to a lack of creativity and innovation.These two factors are of significant importance for organizations to survive and nutrition the center of attention competitiveness in such a rapid changing environment (Sorensen 2007). Without creativity and innovation, organizations can no perennial achieve the quality goals and rise the ability to survive and complete effectively in the changing line of business environment. The result is the unavailingness of management. Imperson ality is the feature of bureaucracy and it emphasizes a mechanized way of performing task. In the past, organizations needed management based on rational and impersonal rules and regulations.The rules and regulations have been legally established to minimize cost and maximise control (Hales 2002). The result was that employees worked like robots according to the impersonal rules and regulations. They had no emotions and belongingness of organizations. thus their attitudes and mental dispositions may be influenced by bureaucracy (Sorensen 2007). Nowadays, organizations emphasize more on employees needs and emotions, rather than impersonal rules and regulations. Organizations that stick to impersonality may lead to dehumanization, whats more, the friction between employees and manages (Dwyer 2005).The result is the depression of employees personality and weak belongingness to their workplace. They may do their job without full of passion or even conflict with the order of managers. This will lead to an effectiveness of management. After the discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of bureaucratic management in the past and present, discussion below will analyze the differences of bureaucratic management today from the past. Difference of bureaucracy nowadays and in the past Bureaucratic management is different today from the past.Firstly, Organizations emphasize more on quick response and less hierarchical structure than a set of rigid procedures. To keep up with the changing business environment, much of the unnecessary rigid and unflinching rules and regulations must be changed or removed (Hodgson 2004). Empowerment and responsible autonomy of employees are needed rather than the rigid procedures (Johnson et al. 2009). The result is a precious improvement of efficiency in management.Secondly, creativity and innovation are the core competitiveness for organizations to compete with their counterparts and whence those limits of bureaucratic systems on employees should be eliminated (Hales 2002). Employees are encouraged to propose or experiment their new ideas regardless of the constraint of rigid procedures because rigid procedures may bring effectiveness to organizations (Stazyk and Goerdel 2011). Last but not least, human-based management has been widely accepted in organizations and the impersonality of bureaucracy is no longer encouraged. Employees can feel the care and warmth of human-based management and improve their belongingness and the well-being of the organization.The result is more hard-working employees and the improvement of effective management. After discussing the differences of bureaucratic management today from the past, an analysis of bureaucracys inappropriateness for todays management will be given as follows. Bureaucracys appropriateness for todays management The context of management situations is different from past and bureaucracy is definitely no longer appropriate today. It is true that bureaucrac y made great contribution to the progress of management when it was first proposed by Weber (Walton 2005).But with the development of society, the disadvantages of bureaucracy gradually appeared. Nowadays organizations call for flexible and humanized rules and regulations, quick response to the changing environment and employees, creativity and innovation and belongingness of employees (Hales 2002). In other words, organizations need the effective and efficient management that can make them survive and compete in this rapidly changing world. All of these above are conflicted with bureaucracy. So bureaucracy is no longer appropriate for todays management. However, there are still a lot of places can be learnt from bureaucratic system.Conclusion In conclusion, bureaucracies are definitely not appropriate in workplaces today for effective and efficient management. The side by side(p) statements sum up the finding of this essay to support the conclusion. Firstly, the rigid and inflexib le rules and regulations of bureaucratic system often result in a mishap of quick response to the changing environment. It may lead to an inefficient management especially for large-scale organizations. Secondly, creativity and innovation may be reject by a set of rigid procedures of bureaucratic system and therefore lead to an ineffective management.Thirdly, employees perform task in a mechanical way according to the impersonal rules of bureaucratic system. The result is that employees can hardly feel the belongingness to their workplace. This may lead to a failure of work and an ineffective management. All of these above demonstrate that bureaucracy is not appropriate for todays management. However, there are still shining points that can be learnt from bureaucratic management. When dealing with the management of large-scale organizations, bureaucracy and modern management methods can be mixed to insure a better control of organization and an effective and efficient management.