The Post Bureaucratic Organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

The Post Bureaucratic Organization - Essay Example It will be structured according to the following outline: The first part introduces the reader to the idea of the bureaucratic organization. The major characteristics of the bureaucracy will be presented and discussed in order to provide a good background for the post-bureaucratic organization. The second part will be a discussion of the features of the post-bureaucratic organization and the final part will discuss the challenges and pressures that managers face in a post-bureaucratic environment, with some ideas on how managers can cope with such pressures and challenges. The essay will also discuss and evaluate the post-bureaucratic organization on the basis of the characteristics of the bureaucracy as expounded by Max Weber. There have been many views about the bureaucracy as an organizational form. Many have criticized it saying it is very impersonal and is not responsive. The hierarchical structure is also said to be inflexible and does not allow for dynamism. However, there are also those who believe that the bureaucratic structure is here to stay. And still there are those who think that organizations are neither strictly bureaucratic nor non-bureaucratic. ... However, since much of the writings of Karl Marx are more focused on the philosophical and social ideologies, especially with his concept of revolutionary communism, Max Weber has come to be known as the proponent of the concept of bureaucracy. This essay will focus on the ideas advanced by Max Weber regarding the bureaucratic organization. The description "Weberian", referring to Weber's model, has become a comfortable term to use in readings about the bureaucracy. Weber's bureaucracy is considered by scholars and practitioners as the "ideal organization" or the "ideal-type" organization. This idea of an ideal structure however draws out varied reactions from different people. Some agree with the idea of achieving order through its prescribed system of doing things. Others condemn it for causing problems like delays, corruption, being too impersonal, etc. In order to put all these in their proper perspective, a good starting point is to define the concept of bureaucracy. The first and most common word one comes across in readings related to bureaucracy is the word rationality. Quoting Weber, Neil Garston defines bureaucracy in the book Bureaucracy: Three Paradigms through an explanation of the categories of rational legal authority. Authority in this sense is equated to bureaucracy and involves the following: 1 1. A continuous organization of official functions bound by rules 2. A specified sphere of competence involving spheres of obligations marked by division of labor; incumbent being provided with authority to carry out functions; clearly defined means of compulsion 3. The organization of offices follows the principle of hierarchy 4. The rules which regulate the conduct of an office may be technical rules or norms 5.