Max Weber

MAX WEBER
THE BUREAUCRATIC THEORY

THE PROCESS OF RATIONALIZATION
• By ‘rational’, Weber means an economic system
based not on custom or tradition, but on a systematic
and deliberated adjustment of economic means to
attain pecuniary profit.
• Weber measures the degree of rationalization in
society in two ways:
1. Positively, rationalization is measured by the extent to
which ideas gain in systematic coherence and consistency.
Negatively, it is measured by the displacement of magical
element of thought.
2. A related emphasis in Weber’s analysis is the concept of
domination. To Weber, emergence of rational societies
depends on the way in which domination has been exerted.
• He maintains that domination is a subset of the
phenomenon of power and the ruler has the right
to exercise power and the ruled have a duty to
obey.
• There are two basic types of domination:
1. Domination based on constellation of interests
 He identifies domination within each religion with a particular
status group of religious leaders e.g. in Hinduism, the status
group is the hereditary caste of Brahmins; for Christianity, it
is the urban bourgeoisie; and for Confucianism, it is the
government officials with a literary education.
2. Domination based on authority

 It is found in legal and bureaucratic relationships. Obedience
in such systems is based on the perception of legitimacy.
TYPOLOGY OF AUTHORITY
• Weber’s most widely acknowledged contribution
to the study of organization has been his ‘theory
of authority’.
• He uses the term ‘power’ to refer to the ability to

force people to obey orders; ‘legitimation to refer
to the acceptance of the exercise of power
because it conforms to the values held by the
subjects; and ‘authority’ to refer to the
combination of the two – that is to power which
is viewed as legitimate.
CHARISMATIC AUTHORITY
• It rests on “devotion to the specific and exceptional
sanctity, heroism or exemplary character of an
individual person”
• The only basis of legitimacy is personal charisma
• The leader is constrained only by his personal
judgement and he is not governed by any formal
method of adjudication
• There is no procedure for appointment, promotion or
dismissal
• Administration under charismatic authority, according
to Weber, is loose and unstable.
TRADITIONAL AUTHORITY
• It rests on the sanctity of immemorial traditions and
the legitimacy of the exercising authority.
• The authority is by virtue of the status that is inherited
and its extent is fixed by custom or usage.
• Administration tends to be irrational and there is
likelihood of absence of formal and technical staff.
• The organizational form can be:
1. Patrimonial in which the officials are personal servants
who depend upon their ruler for remuneration.
2. Feudal in which officials have much more autonomy
because of their own sources of income.
LEGAL-RATIONAL AUTHORITY
• Authority rests on the legality of patterns of normative

rules and the right of those elevated to authority under
such rules to issue commands.
• It develops either through the routinization of charisma
or the break-down of the privileges of traditional
authority.
• Administration/officials under this authority to which
Weber refers to as bureaucracy are only a ‘trustee’ of
an impersonal, compulsory institution under whose
authority it exercises powers.
LEGAL-RATIONAL AUTHORITY
• There are two major forms of domination:
1. Based on legal structure which gives rise to two

kinds of rationality i.e.
i. An act is substantively rational if it is guided by principles

such as those embodied in religious or ethical thought.
ii. An act is formally rational when it is based on general

rules.
2. Bureaucratic administration
THE BUREAUCRATIC STRUCTURE:
CHARACTERISTICS
• Weber did not coin the term: it was rather de Gournay
• He only discussed its characteristics
• His emphasis was on legal-rational domination in
modern state which was only possible through
bureaucracy
• He defines an organization as an ‘ordering of social
relationships”.
• The organization consists of members accustomed to
obedience; an administrative staff that holds itself at
the disposal of the masters; and the masters
themselves who hold power to command.
IDEAL TYPE OF BUREAUCRACY
According to Weber:
“Bureaucracy is an administrative body of appointed

officials and is, from a purely technical point of view,
capable of attaining the highest degree of efficiency and
is, in this sense, formally the most rational known means
of carrying out imperative control over human beings. It
is superior to any other form in precision, in stability, in
the stringency of its discipline, and its reliability. It is,
finally, superior both in intensive efficiency and in the
scope of its operations, and is formally capable of all
kinds of administrative tasks”.
CHARACTERISTICS
• Bound by rules which facilitates standardization

and equality in treatment.
• A sphere of competence which means a
systematic division of labour, power and
responsibility defined by administrative regulations.
• Principle of hierarchy
• Need of specialized training. According to
Weber, the root of the authority of the bureaucrat is
his knowledge and skill.
• Impersonal detachment which means that the
ideal administrator performs his functions in a
spirit of formalistic impersonality, that is, without
his personal interests and likes and dislikes
coming into the picture.
• Keeping records
• Career service. Weber’s bureaucratic structure
provides for
a. Payment of salaries according to responsibility and
social status
b. Promotions and career development on the basis of
both seniority and achievement
c. Appeal and grievance machinery
• The non-bureaucratic head

CRITICAL EVALUATION
1. Blau says that Weber could not recognize that “the
same factor that enhances efficiency in one respect
often threatens it in another; it may have both
functional and dysfunctional consequences.
2. Argyris claims that bureaucracies restrict the
psychological growth of the individual and cause
feelings of failure, frustration and conflict.
3. Weber’s formalistic structure is criticized by Barnard
who says that informal organizations are necessary to
the operation of formal organizations. Blau also
maintains that informal relations and unofficial
practices often contribute to efficient operation.
4. There seem some contradictions in Weber’s model:
a. The two principles i.e. ‘Impersonal detachment and esprit
de corps’ are incompatible
b. Strict hierarchy gives rise to mutual suspicion
c. Promotion on both seniority and merit are contradictory
d. This model ignores human touch
4. Due to immense powers, he is increasingly pre -

occupied with his own social position and misses the
original goals.
5. It is not necessarily rational and efficient and his

bureaucratic characteristics may not be objective.
7. Weberian bureaucracy may be a less
efficacious instrument of economic change
due to its traditions, hierarchy and
impartiality.
8. Weber himself admits that bureaucracy has

penetrated all social institutions and hence
limits individual freedom.
WEBER’S PERSPECTIVES ON
POLITICS AND BUREAUCRACY
• State, according to Weber, represents the monopoly
of the legitimate use of force over a given territory and
is an ‘ultimate’ in that it cannot be integrated into a
more comprehensive whole.
• The ‘Nation’ on the other hand has more than coercive
control over a territory because it is also a community
which produces a feeling of solidarity.
• He holds that conflict should be encouraged because
the highest qualities of life (i.e. qualities of
independence) can be developed only through
conflict.
• He favours democracy but warns against viewing
it as a panacea for society’s ills.
• He argues that democracy requires a charismatic
leader – who is truly destined to rule and is suited
for his tasks by supernatural gifts.
• Weber was averse to bureaucratic domination.
• Only through charismatic leadership can

bureaucracy be dominated by politics (politicians).

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MAX WEBER

THE BUREAUCRATIC THEORY

2. Domination based on authority

• He uses the term ‘power’ to refer to the ability to

• Authority rests on the legality of patterns of normative

• There are two major forms of domination:

1. Based on legal structure which gives rise to two

i. An act is substantively rational if it is guided by principles

ii. An act is formally rational when it is based on general

“Bureaucracy is an administrative body of appointed

• Bound by rules which facilitates standardization

• The non-bureaucratic head

4. Due to immense powers, he is increasingly pre -

5. It is not necessarily rational and efficient and his

8. Weber himself admits that bureaucracy has

• Only through charismatic leadership can

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