Bureaucracy and Formal Organizations

Outlines
Introduction to formal organizations.

The Rationalization of society.

Bureaucracy.

Essential characteristics of bureaucracy.

Concepts.

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Introduction to Formal Organizations:
It is not easy to define a formal organization although we can all point to numerous
examples:

Utility companies, universities, trade unions, foundations, churches, country clubs,

Pakistan Medical Association, banks, city governments, or the Boy Scouts.

Some sociologists define them by stating they are agencies that have been organized
for a specific purpose..

For example, irrigation or telephone service.

Some definitions focus instead on the hierarchic aspect of organizations by

noting that some agencies plan the activities of others; that is, there are
higher and lower levels of authority, and the people in charge decide what
others will do.

The Rationalization of Society:

Max Weber: creator of the theory of rationalization

Rationalization: the process through which social action becomes more organized.

The term rationalization of society refers to a transformation in peoples thinking and

behaviors.

Karl Marx also marked rationalization to capitalism.

Marx was of view that the development of capitalism caused people to change their way of
thinking.

The Rationalization of society:

Max Weber developed the term Rationalization of Society, traced this change to
Protestant theology, which he said brought about capitalism.

The Crazy religious approach to Capitalism.

Bureaucracy:
Formal organizations are secondary groups designed to achieve specific objectives.

Their dominant form is the bureaucracy.

According to Max Weber,

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 A formal organizational model with hierarchy of authority; clear division of labour;
emphasis on written rules; communications; written record and impersonality of
position.

Essential Characteristics of Bureaucracy:

Hierarchy

A bureaucracy is set up with clear chains of command so that everyone has a boss.

At the top of the organization is a chief who oversees the entire bureaucracy.

Power flows downward.

Specialization

Bureaucrats specialize in one area of the issue their agency covers.

This allows efficiency because the specialist does what he or she knows best, then
passes the matter along to another specialist.

Division of labor

Each task is broken down into smaller tasks, and different people work on different
parts of the task.

Essential Characteristics of Bureaucracy:

Standard operating procedure (SOP):

Also called formalized rules, SOP informs workers about how to handle tasks and
situations.

Everybody always follows the same procedures to increase efficiency and

predictability so that the organization will produce similar results in similar
circumstances.

Purposely impersonal

The idea is to treat all employees equally and customers equally, and not be
influenced by individual differences.

Concepts:
Corporate culture: The orientations that characterize corporate work settings.

Goal displacement: A goal displaced by another; in this context, the adoption of new goals
by an organization; also known as goal replacement.

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 Red Tape: The practice of requiring excessive paperwork and tedious procedures before
official action can be considered or completed.

Humanizing a work setting: Organizing a workplace in such a way that it develops, rather
than impedes, human potential.

Rationality: The acceptance of rules, efficiency, and practical results as the right way to
approach human affairs.

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