Make the case for and against bureaucracy. What is the good, the bad, and the ug

Question

Make the case for and against bureaucracy. What is the good, the bad, and the ugly of how bureaucratic organizations work? Discuss fully the contributions of Max Weber in terms of the formal structure of bureaucracy as noted in Chapter 2 of the Stillman text. Finally, compare and contrast the various theories of management and efficiency as noted in the Holzer text (Chapter 2). In your view, which one of

the three schools (Classical, Neo-Classical, Human Relations), if any is the most important and why? Or, do all of them contribute to our understanding, and if so, provide examples.

Public Administration: Concepts and Cases, 9th Edition by Richard J. Stillman II

Explanation / Answer

The bureaucratic organisations leads to polarised decision making and also disables the decision process by slowing it all down. It leads to introduction of corruption and red tapism in the system. defining the fixed area of activity, segregation of duties, fixed and defined lines of heirarchy, centralised power and decision making were some of the key factors that were defined in the model. Weber defined the preconditions for the bureaucracy to exist such as the increased complexity of the administrative mechanisms.

The Weber and Holzer's school of thought differ majorly on the basis of underlying principle that Weber was not a hard core supporter of bureaucracy and established it only as a means to achieve an efficient administrative mechanism while Holzer was a supporter of bureaucracy and also established ranking and designations ( formerly known as nomenclature) in the system.

The human relations school of thought is critical as in any corporate environment, the relations play an important role in power and politics.

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