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Weber Model

The document summarizes Max Weber's model of bureaucracy, outlining its key characteristics according to Weber. These include a hierarchy of authority with power flowing downward, specialization where bureaucrats focus on one area of expertise, standardized operating procedures to increase efficiency, and management based on set rules with a clear division of labor and personnel hired for their technical competence to work as full-time salaried officials.

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Jennifer Vega
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395 views3 pages

Weber Model

The document summarizes Max Weber's model of bureaucracy, outlining its key characteristics according to Weber. These include a hierarchy of authority with power flowing downward, specialization where bureaucrats focus on one area of expertise, standardized operating procedures to increase efficiency, and management based on set rules with a clear division of labor and personnel hired for their technical competence to work as full-time salaried officials.

Uploaded by

Jennifer Vega
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Principles of bureaucratic theory

1) Job specialization: - Jobs are divided into simple, routine and fixed category based on competence and functional specialization.

2) Authority hierarchy: - Officers are organized in a n hierarchy in which higher officer controls lower position holders i.e. superior controls subordinates and their performance of subordinates and lower staff could be controlled.

3) Formal selection: - All organizational members are to be selected on the basis of technical qualifications and competence demonstrated by training, education or formal examination.

4) Formal rules and regulations: - To ensure uniformity and to regulate actions of employees, managers must depend heavily upon formal organizational rules and regulations. Thus, rules of law lead to impersonality in interpersonal relations.

5) Impersonality: - Rules and controls are applied uniformly, avoiding involvement with personalities and preferences of employees. Nepotism and favoritism are not preferred.

6) Career orientation: - Career building opportunity is offered highly. Life long employment and adequate protection of individuals against arbitrary dismissal is guaranteed. Here managers are professional officials rather than owners units they manage. They work for a fixed salaries and pursue their career within the organization.

Limitations of bureaucratic theory


1) Informal relationship is not considered: - It does not consider the informal relationships between individuals working in the organizations. 2) Outdated system: - Its system of control and authority are outdated which cant work in such a changed environment.

3) Inadequate means: - Bureaucratic theory does not posses adequate means resolving differences and conflicts arising between functional groups.

Fixed division of labor The jurisdictional areas are clearly specified, and each area has a specific set of official duties and rights that cannot be changed at the whim of the leader. This division of labor should minimize arbitrary assignments of duties found in more traditional structures, in which the division of labor was not firm and regular, and in which the leader could change duties at any time. Hierarchy of offices Each office should be controlled and supervised by a higher ranking office. However, lower offices should maintain a right to appeal decisions made higher in the hierarchy. This should replace a more traditional system, in which power and authority relations are more diffuse, and not based on a clear hierarchical order. Rational-legal authority A bureaucracy is founded on rational-legal authority. This type of authority rests on the belief in the "legality" of formal rules and hierarchies, and in the right of those elevated in the hierarchy to posses authority and issue commands. Authority is given to officials based on their skills, position and authority placed formally in each position. This should supplant earlier types administrative systems, where authority was legitimized based on other, and more individual, aspects of authority like wealth, position, ownership, heritage etc. Learn more about Max Weber's types of authority here Creation of rules to govern performance Rules should be specified to govern official decisions and actions. These formal rules should be relatively stable, exhaustive and easily understood. This should supplant old systems, in which rules were either ill-defined or stated vaguely, and in which leaders could change the rules for conducting the daily work arbitrarily. Separation of personal from official property and rights Official property rights concerning e.g. machines or tools should belong to the office or department - not the officeholder. Personal property should be separated from official property. This should supplant earlier systems, in which personal and official property rights were not separated to the needed extent. Selection based on qualifications Officials are recruited based on qualifications, and are appointed, not elected, to the office. People are compensated with a salary, and are not compensated with benefices such as rights to land, power etc. This should supplant more particularistic ways of staffing found in more traditional systems, where officials were often selected due to their relation with the leader or social rank. Benefices such as land, rights etc. were also common ways of compensating people, which was to be replaced by a general salary matching qualifications. Clear career paths Employment in the organizations should be seen as a career for officials. An official is a full-time employee, and anticipates a lifelong career. After an introduction period, the employee is given tenure, which protects the employee from arbitrary dismissal. This should supplant more traditional systems, in which employees' career paths were determined by the leader, and in which employees lacked the security of tenure.

WEBERIAN MODEL

According to the Weberian model, created by German sociologist Max Weber, a bureaucracy always displays the following characteristics:

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. 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. SOP can sometimes make bureaucracy move slowly because new procedures must be developed as circumstances change.

The Key Characteristics of a Bureaucracy


Weber coined this last type of authority with the name of a bureaucracy. The term bureaucracy in terms of an organization and management functions refers to the following six characteristics: Management by rules. A bureaucracy follows a consistent set of rules that control the functions of the organization. Management controls the lower levels of the organization's hierarchy by applying established rules in a consistent and predictable manner. Division of labor. Authority and responsibility are clearly defined and officially sanctioned. Job descriptions are specified with responsibilities and line of authority. All employees have thus clearly defined rules in a system of authority and subordination. Formal hierarchical structure. An organization is organized into a hierarchy of authority and follows a clear chain of command. The hierarchical structure effectively delineates the lines of authority and the subordination of the lower levels to the upper levels of the hierarchical structure. Personnel hired on grounds of technical competence. Appointment to a position within the organization is made on the grounds of technical competence. Work is assigned based on the experience and competence of the individual. Managers are salaried officials. A manager is a salaried official and does own the administered unit. All elements of a bureaucracy are defined with clearly defined roles and responsibilities and are managed by trained and experienced specialists. Written documents. All decisions, rules and actions taken by the organization are formulated and recorded in writing. Written documents ensure that there is continuity of the organizations policies and procedures. Advantages and Disadvantages of Webers Bureaucracy Webers bureaucracy is based on logic and rationality which are supported by trained and qualified specialists. The element of a bureaucracy offers a stable and hierarchical model for an organization. Nevertheless, Webers bureaucracy does have its limitations since it is based on the roles and responsibilities of the individuals rather than on the tasks performed by the organization. Its rigidity implies a lack of flexibility to respond to the demands of change in the business environment.

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