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The advantages of bureaucracy outweigh the problems of bureaucracy ,with reference to the artic

The advantages of bureaucracy outweigh the problems of bureaucracy ,with reference to the artic

Social Psychology (10th Edition)
Social Psychology (10th Edition)
10th Edition
ISBN:9780134641287
Author:Elliot Aronson, Timothy D. Wilson, Robin M. Akert, Samuel R. Sommers
Publisher:Elliot Aronson, Timothy D. Wilson, Robin M. Akert, Samuel R. Sommers
Chapter1: Introducing Social Psychology
Section: Chapter Questions
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The advantages of bureaucracy outweigh the problems of bureaucracy ,with reference to the article-discuss

Another shortcoming of bureaucratic organization is widely known as the Peter Principle. It can be stated succinctly: In a hierarchy, employees tend to rise to their level of incompetence (Peter & Hull, 1969). To illustrate, a person may be hired or promoted into a position for which she is competent, let's say as an ad designer in a marketing division of a corpora tion. Good performance at that level may lead to further promotions. At some point, says the Peter Principle, there is a good chance that the person will be promoted to a position for which she is not competent. Suppose she is promoted to a management position but her strengths are not in managing people but in designing creative advertising. Once she is in this new position, mechanisms operate to retain her there: Those who promoted her do not want to admit a mistake, and she may work to protect her position, concealing her incompetence by relying on competent secretaries and subordinates in the bureaucracy. She has risen to her level of incompetence. One eritic pointed to a final shorteoming of bureaueracies by arguing that bureauerats are like crabgrass in that both proliferate rapidly and resist efforts to cut back their number (Joyner, 1978). That critie might have been thinking of Parkinson's Law, which states that work in a bureaucracy tends to occupy the number of workers assigned to it and fill the time available for its completion, regardless of the actual amount of work involved (Parkinson, 1962). Bureaucrats must appear to be busy or they may be considered expendable. If a task can be finished in less than the time available for it, they may actually create work to fill the remaining time. Eventually, they come to regard this “make work" as very important, and they feel burdened under the load. Thus, according to Parkinson, bureaucracies tend to grow even when the work they do does not. Parkinson's Law may be behind the tendency of governments at every level to expand. Although this list of the shortcomings of bureaueracies may paint a rather grim pieture of incompetence and inertia, reality in most organizations is not quite that bleak. Most bureaucracies perform reasonably well, and most bureaucrats are conscientious and reasonably competent. Nevertheless, bureaucratic organizations do have the tendencies described here, and efforts must be made to structure them in ways that reduce the negative impacts.
Transcribed Image Text:Another shortcoming of bureaucratic organization is widely known as the Peter Principle. It can be stated succinctly: In a hierarchy, employees tend to rise to their level of incompetence (Peter & Hull, 1969). To illustrate, a person may be hired or promoted into a position for which she is competent, let's say as an ad designer in a marketing division of a corpora tion. Good performance at that level may lead to further promotions. At some point, says the Peter Principle, there is a good chance that the person will be promoted to a position for which she is not competent. Suppose she is promoted to a management position but her strengths are not in managing people but in designing creative advertising. Once she is in this new position, mechanisms operate to retain her there: Those who promoted her do not want to admit a mistake, and she may work to protect her position, concealing her incompetence by relying on competent secretaries and subordinates in the bureaucracy. She has risen to her level of incompetence. One eritic pointed to a final shorteoming of bureaueracies by arguing that bureauerats are like crabgrass in that both proliferate rapidly and resist efforts to cut back their number (Joyner, 1978). That critie might have been thinking of Parkinson's Law, which states that work in a bureaucracy tends to occupy the number of workers assigned to it and fill the time available for its completion, regardless of the actual amount of work involved (Parkinson, 1962). Bureaucrats must appear to be busy or they may be considered expendable. If a task can be finished in less than the time available for it, they may actually create work to fill the remaining time. Eventually, they come to regard this “make work" as very important, and they feel burdened under the load. Thus, according to Parkinson, bureaucracies tend to grow even when the work they do does not. Parkinson's Law may be behind the tendency of governments at every level to expand. Although this list of the shortcomings of bureaueracies may paint a rather grim pieture of incompetence and inertia, reality in most organizations is not quite that bleak. Most bureaucracies perform reasonably well, and most bureaucrats are conscientious and reasonably competent. Nevertheless, bureaucratic organizations do have the tendencies described here, and efforts must be made to structure them in ways that reduce the negative impacts.
A Critique of Bureaucratic Organization With these characteristics, bureaucracies clearly have certain advantages, at least with respect to some tasks (Champion, 1975; Gross & Etzioni, 1985; Zand, 1974). Bureaucracies are orderly and stable, and the people in them know who can do what and when they will do it. They are also speedy and efficient organizations for accomplishing certain kinds of things, especially well-structured and straightforward tasks that involve a uniform sequence of events. Automobile or breakfast cereal factories, for example, benefit from bureaucratic organization, as do military organizations and prisons. College students, however, who are no strangers to bureaucracy because virtually all institutions of higher education today are bureaucratic, may disagree that bureaucracies are speedy and efficient. You are undoubtedly familiar with the laments-sometimes cynical, sometimes resigned-that are directed at bureaucracies: “You can't beat the system," "We're drowning in red tape," or "It's the old (name your institution here) shuffle." These comments point to the fact that, despite their advantages, bureaucracies have shortcomings. One of the major shortcomings of bureaucracies is that their strong emphasis on following established rules and regulations can lead to rigidity and inflexibility. The rules become ends in themselves rather than means of achieving organizational goals. Early in the twentieth century, Thorsten B. Veblen (1912) coined the term trained incapacity to refer to a situation in which people have been trained so completely to follow the rules that they are unable to act independently or innovatively. They develop bureaucratic “tunnel vision." Such behavior arises when participants forget the overall goal of the organization and become totally preoccupied with the means of obtaining that goal. The normal operation of bureaucracies, then, can have the effect of stifling creativity. Bureaucratic rules and regulations are designed to apply to standard situations; they become inefficient and sometimes useless when applied to the novel or unusual. Bureaucracies tend to reward obedience to rules rather than the creation of new ways to achieve goals. The sociologist Robert Merton (1968) has even argued that a bureaucratic personality develops, which emphasizes conformity, rigidity, and timidity. Along similar lines, C. Wright Mills (1959, p. 171) feared “the ascendency of the cheerful robot"–the person who willingly accepts and obeys authority in bureaucratic settings rather than questioning, challenging, and innovating.
Transcribed Image Text:A Critique of Bureaucratic Organization With these characteristics, bureaucracies clearly have certain advantages, at least with respect to some tasks (Champion, 1975; Gross & Etzioni, 1985; Zand, 1974). Bureaucracies are orderly and stable, and the people in them know who can do what and when they will do it. They are also speedy and efficient organizations for accomplishing certain kinds of things, especially well-structured and straightforward tasks that involve a uniform sequence of events. Automobile or breakfast cereal factories, for example, benefit from bureaucratic organization, as do military organizations and prisons. College students, however, who are no strangers to bureaucracy because virtually all institutions of higher education today are bureaucratic, may disagree that bureaucracies are speedy and efficient. You are undoubtedly familiar with the laments-sometimes cynical, sometimes resigned-that are directed at bureaucracies: “You can't beat the system," "We're drowning in red tape," or "It's the old (name your institution here) shuffle." These comments point to the fact that, despite their advantages, bureaucracies have shortcomings. One of the major shortcomings of bureaucracies is that their strong emphasis on following established rules and regulations can lead to rigidity and inflexibility. The rules become ends in themselves rather than means of achieving organizational goals. Early in the twentieth century, Thorsten B. Veblen (1912) coined the term trained incapacity to refer to a situation in which people have been trained so completely to follow the rules that they are unable to act independently or innovatively. They develop bureaucratic “tunnel vision." Such behavior arises when participants forget the overall goal of the organization and become totally preoccupied with the means of obtaining that goal. The normal operation of bureaucracies, then, can have the effect of stifling creativity. Bureaucratic rules and regulations are designed to apply to standard situations; they become inefficient and sometimes useless when applied to the novel or unusual. Bureaucracies tend to reward obedience to rules rather than the creation of new ways to achieve goals. The sociologist Robert Merton (1968) has even argued that a bureaucratic personality develops, which emphasizes conformity, rigidity, and timidity. Along similar lines, C. Wright Mills (1959, p. 171) feared “the ascendency of the cheerful robot"–the person who willingly accepts and obeys authority in bureaucratic settings rather than questioning, challenging, and innovating.
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