05/22/2018 3 611 0 Igor

Psychology and Society

Bureaucracy is an inevitable and natural companion of any process in a society built on the principle of centralization of power. But it always causes dissatisfaction and even indignation on the part of the population, caused by waiting in long lines in order to obtain the necessary certificates and documents, fruitless attempts to get a solution to any issue from management and government authorities, clerical red tape, incessant paperwork that replaces the real necessary assistance to the population. What does bureaucracy mean? in simple words?

Content:

What is bureaucracy?

Bureaucracy (from the French “bureau” - bureau, office and the Greek “kratoc” - domination, power) is a management function of the state, which is based on a clear vertical hierarchy to carry out the tasks assigned to the state in the most effective way. Absolutely all government bodies are included in the implementation of this function. Bureaucracy carries a negative connotation, however, it exists in all countries where power is concentrated in the hands of central government authorities. It is beneficial for the state for the following reasons:

• is a kind of tool for manipulating society;
• allows you to keep the country's population on a short leash, not giving you the opportunity to show leadership abilities.

Currently, bureaucracy has become more widespread, being used not only in the field of public administration, but also to describe the method of managing a large enterprise or corporation with a large and extensive staff of managers. Bureaucracy began to be applied to such areas of professional activity as corporate, trade union, church, etc. Bureaucracy is characterized by:

• “vertical” information flows;
• formalized methods of decision making;
• claims to a special status in society.

How did it appear?

Bureaucracy appeared simultaneously with the advent of writing in the Ancient World (Egypt and Sumer). During the life of Confucius, the first ideas of a complex bureaucratic system were realized. Later it appeared in Ancient Rome and the Byzantine Empire, which were countries with total control over society.

The founder of the term “bureaucracy” is considered to be the French economist Vincent de Gournay, who introduced this concept into circulation in 1745, using it to designate the executive power in society. A little later, the German sociologist, economist and historian Max Weber began a comprehensive scientific study of such a phenomenon as bureaucracy.

Advantages and disadvantages

The pros and cons of bureaucracy are conditional: for some, the pros are obvious disadvantages, and the cons are advantages. Let's consider the advantages and disadvantages of bureaucracy, which affect the interests of the entire society.

Advantages:

1. A clearly constructed hierarchy of governing bodies, which corrects their activities, prescribes strict order in everything, and leads society or an organization to a higher level of development;
2. Strict distribution of responsibilities, when everyone is responsible for their own area of ​​work and does not interfere with others, which leads to increased efficiency and productivity;
3. Ensuring the principle of unity of rules for all citizens, regardless of their status and standard of living, which leads to a sense of justice and equality of all before the law;
4. Implementation of coordination based on the principle from above, which leads to a decrease in staff turnover.

Flaws:

1. Rigidity in the need to adopt norms and standards of behavior, the impossibility of resolving pressing issues by collective voting, all decisions are made from above, imposed, the majority must adhere to the opinion of the minority, which is the ultimate truth;
2. A one-sided approach to searching for solutions to issues, lack of choice of alternatives to find the best solution;
3. Lack of sincerityopenness, goodwill in human relations, since the sphere of management is regulated by strictly established rules of behavior, because of which people come to the conclusion that they are treated poorly, inattentively and not humanly;
4. Reluctance to put forward new ideas and innovation in general, rejection of those who strive for something new and more perfect;
5. An attempt to control all employees through strict discipline.

We can conclude that there are more disadvantages, which is why bureaucracy always causes a negative reaction from the population. Nevertheless, it is inevitable and is unlikely to fade away in the near future, because its main goal is to subjugate society.

M. Weber's theory of rational bureaucracy

M. Weber developed a theory according to which each new era in the life of society entails an increase in the role of the organizational factor. He studied the foundations of industrial society, the structure of which is best understood by the theory of bureaucratic organization. According to M. Weber, bureaucracy is an analogue of the industrial organizational form and it is the embodiment of rationality in the management of society.

The main reason for the emergence of bureaucracy in all spheres of public life is the processes of economic and political concentration. These ideas of M. Weber are very close to Marxist theory, in which K. Marx emphasized that capitalism is based on the separation of the worker, the producer, from the means of production he uses and productive activity in general. This is where the need arises for intermediary activities between the manufacturer himself and the tools of labor, the implementation of which is undertaken by the governing bodies. They are based on the bureaucratic principle. For this reason, M. Weber’s theory of rational bureaucracy is called functionalist.

Two types of bureaucracy according to M. Weber:

1. Patrimonial – characteristic of a traditional society. Its distinctive feature is irrationality.
2. Rational is inherent in capitalism.

In a traditional society, everything is subject to traditions, therefore bureaucracy is authoritarian in nature, there is no formal rational principle in it. The situation is different in modern world, where in states both managers (bureaucracy) and subordinates (citizens) are subject not to individuals, but to laws. main idea M. Weber: presentation of modern bureaucracy as a management structure. Since society pursues a steady rationalization of all spheres of public life, this leads to a constant increase in the role and importance of bureaucracy in such a society.

M. Weber characterizes the rationalism of bureaucracy with the following features:

• Everyone is personally responsible for their own area of ​​work;
• Strong coordination to achieve common organizational goals;
• The optimal operation of impersonal rules;
• Clearly constructed hierarchical dependence.

Theories of bureaucracy according to Merton and Gouldner

The main idea in the theory of bureaucracy by Merton and Gouldner is the side effects of bureaucracy associated with the appearance in society of its dysfunction, manifested in the substitution of the goals of activity by its means. As a result, all the advantages associated with bureaucracy become a brake on the path to rational behavior. Such a rational organizational structure as bureaucracy generates irrational elements within itself. R. Merton identified the following negative manifestations of bureaucracy in society:

• People lose the ability to make their own decisions and are forced to be guided by decisions imposed from above;
• Representatives of the bureaucracy refuse creative and extraordinary thinking, personal growth and development;
• Due to unquestioning adherence to formal rules and developed guidelines for action, their compliance is brought to the fore and becomes the most important task of organizational activity;
• Leadership positions are occupied by weak-willed individuals who have stereotypical thinking, with a lack of imagination and creativity, flexibility and loyalty in the application of official norms;
• The result of such bureaucratic activity is the elevation and superiority of all those who have access to power;
• The entire bureaucratic caste becomes closed;
• All issues are resolved without taking into account the situation that has developed at a given time;
• Impunity of the bureaucratic system, since it is possible to refer to the relevant rule or instruction;
• Lack of flexibility of any bureaucratic organization with the external environment.

Gouldner developed the ideas of Weber and identified two types of bureaucracy:

1. Representative: the main support of power is its knowledge and skills;
2. Authoritarian: reliance on sanctions, the one who has power is right, power is the law, obedience becomes an end in itself.

Sociology is the science in which the topic of bureaucracy is most developed.

Cause: penetration of bureaucracy into all spheres of public life. A. Toffler believes that bureaucracy has three main features: stability, hierarchy, division of labor.

Sociology substantiates the fact that the only prospect for the development of society is bureaucracy, since it is the most efficient and acceptable form of management. And the main task of modern management is changing the role of the bureaucracy based on the guidance of the principles that M. Weber developed in his time. Achieving this goal is possible by changing the attitudes of representatives of the bureaucracy and proclaiming the correlation of their well-being and career with the final result of the organization's activities.

It is possible to achieve this goal only if the goals of bureaucrats are changed and the principle of relating their well-being and career achievements to the final outcome of organizational activities is guided by.

Types of Bureaucracy

Classic or hardware

Corresponds to the model built by M. Weber. This type is characterized by minimal use by employees of their own knowledge and experience in management, a reluctance to improve their skills, since the main responsibility is to clearly perform their functions, and the role of managers in the organization is delineated by strict boundaries.

Apparatus bureaucracy is characteristic of:

• ministries and departments;
• state or municipal government institutions;
• organizations with a stable structure and non-dynamic relationships with the macro environment.

Main advantages:

• Stability and absence of chaos;
• Clear specialization;
• Unification and standardization of all processes, which reduces the likelihood of errors and mistakes;
• Guarantee of control reliability;
• Formal rules and regulations ensure coherence of activities.

Flaws:

• Leads to bureaucracy;
• Lack of incentives and motivational mechanisms for activity;
• Ignoring the mental abilities and mental characteristics of employees;
• Making inadequate and untimely decisions due to the inefficiency of this type of bureaucracy in conditions of dynamism and uncertainty environment in case of unusual situations.

Professional

The activities of managers are still limited by role boundaries, but require deep professional knowledge in special areas of activity.

Compared to the apparatus bureaucracy, professional:

• Has a higher degree of competence;
• Takes into account not only the management process itself, but also the conditions for its implementation;
• Less formalized;
• Has greater freedom in making decisions within the framework of its activities, since senior management is not so competent in resolving a narrow range of specific issues;
• Uses grouping of jobs according to functional and hierarchical principles.

Advantages:

• Allows you to solve extraordinary problems, since it requires deep professional knowledge from performers;
• Increasing the motivation of employees to resolve not only personal issues, but also group and general ones;
• Less control from senior management, which gives freedom to express creativity.

Flaws:

• Requires large investments in the constant improvement of the educational level of employees;
• Decrease in efficiency in conditions of unchanged external environment;
• The need to use more complex forms of application of power: the use, in addition to coercive and rewarding, expert and information power.

Adhocracy (from Latin “ad hoc” - special and Greek “kratos” - power)

It arose relatively recently in the early 70s of the twentieth century. This concept was used by A. Toffler for the organizational structure of temporary working groups that are created to solve a single task or complete a single project.

Adhocracy is a management apparatus that consists of professionals who clearly perform their functional responsibilities. This is a kind of adaptive structure, capable of rapid changes depending on the range of issues that need to be resolved at the moment. Each time, specialists with the knowledge necessary for a given situation are selected. Adhocracy, in contrast to the two previous types of bureaucracy:

• There is no strict division of labor and a clear hierarchy;
• Has minimal formalization of activities;
• Capable of quickly responding to changes in the external environment.

Important! The motto of this type of bureaucracy is: maximum flexibility and adaptability. Adhocracy does not have most of the disadvantages inherent in the classical and professional types. Its effectiveness in modern conditions is much higher and it has a promising future.

The value system of adhocracy is represented by career ambitions, self-identification of employees with the organization, and service to the organization to achieve their own goals.

The main features of bureaucracy:

Bureaucracy and bureaucracy in Russia

There is a widespread belief that Russia is a bureaucratic country. But it is not confirmed by any statistical data, since the number of officials in our country is smaller than in developed European countries.

The table presents data on the number of officials per 10,000 population in various countries.

Despite the shortage of civil service workers, in the Russian Federation there is a huge problem of ineffective functioning of the bureaucratic system, the so-called bureaucracy. The reason lies in the Russian mentality, which is based on the orientation when hiring not on professionalism and knowledge, but on the presence of connections (nepotism).

Bureaucracy permeates all areas of activity, which is why the quality of services provided suffers greatly. Today in Russia all efforts are aimed at increasing the efficiency of the bureaucratic system through the use of information technologies, facilitating access for the ordinary population to government services and reducing paperwork.

1) Bureaucracy- - 1) and for any state employees, administrative and managerial work in the state, party and other apparatus and organizationally and politically providing the corresponding authorities, i.e. , bureaucrats, apparatchiks, clerks in the broad sense of the word; 2) the apparatus of officials-bureaucrats. characteristic features of B. are, and, hierarchy, gradation, and the meaning of management activity and its forms. In the history of political thought, M. Weber, T. Parsons, R. Merton, ATouldner and others paid much attention to the problem of B.

3) Bureaucracy- (French bureau - bureau, office; Greek kratos -; - dominance of the office) - a complex, contradictory socio-political phenomenon, a specific form of the universal organizational structure of society and the state. The emergence of bureaucracy is associated with the genesis of the state and the separation from the social strata of the population of a special group of people who exercise the function of managing society as a whole (officials). The place of bureaucracy in the system of managerial relations can be defined as average, intermediate between the political elite and the population, social communities of people. Through its activities, it connects the elite and the masses, being the main collective subject that contributes to the implementation of the guiding principles of the elite to the masses. This is its necessary, progressive significance and role in society and the state. But the nature of bureaucracy is dual. In addition to the noted side, it also has a negative side, which manifests itself in a unique way depending on the method of power, that is, the political regime. Thus, the development of bureaucracy under a totalitarian regime leads to the emergence of an alienated management system, divorced from the interests of the people. In such conditions, bureaucracy is characterized by the following main features: 1) it presents its own, professional interests as universal, expressing, in its opinion, the needs and interests of all members of society; 2) by absolutizing her own narrow professional interests, she creates the illusion (objective delusion) of her independence both from society as a whole and from the politically dominant force ruling in society and the state; 3) due to the fact that the activities of the bureaucracy are connected with the mechanism for the implementation of executive power in society and the state, it can practically have a significant influence on the development of the political process in the country, which is noted in Russia. References to the culture of bureaucratic power in our country are useless because some of its cultural manifestations cannot fundamentally change the relationship of dominance-subordination, in which “direct action is replaced by organizational action, and although calls for solidarity are heard, in reality subordination takes place "the law of oligarchy" (N. Luhmann).

4) Bureaucracy- - a management system carried out by a special layer of people who are called upon to ensure the effectiveness of state and other social institutions, have specific responsibilities and work in accordance with a hierarchy of powers.

5) Bureaucracy- - 1) a specific form of political, economic and other social organizations for which characteristic features are arbitrariness, subordination of the rules and tasks of activity primarily to the goals of its preservation and strengthening. 2) a system of management carried out with the help of an apparatus of power that has specific functions and privileges.

6) Bureaucracy- (French bureau - bureau, office and...cracy), initially -, the influence of leaders and officials of the government apparatus; in the future - the designation of a layer of employees in large organizations that have arisen in various spheres of society. As an element of management, administration, bureaucracy turns into a special social one, which is characterized by: hierarchy, strict regulation, division of labor and responsibility in the implementation of formalized functions that require special education. The bureaucracy is characterized by a tendency to become a privileged layer, independent of the majority of members of the organization, which is accompanied by an increase in formalism and arbitrariness, authoritarianism and the subordination of the rules and tasks of the organization’s activities mainly to the goals of its strengthening and preservation.

7) Bureaucracy- - 1) a system of management of society carried out by a privileged caste of officials united by a common corporate interest; 2) type of organization, which is characterized by a clear management hierarchy, strict rules and standards of activity, and specialized distribution of labor.

8) Bureaucracy- (from French вurean) - green cloth that was used to cover the tables of officials of state offices, hence the term “bureaucrat”, i.e. mid-level government employee, official.

9) Bureaucracy- (French bureaucratie French bureau bureau, office + gr. kratos, dominance) - about people professionally involved in management issues and implementing the decisions of the highest authorities. Their activities are based on the separation of roles and functions through clear rules and procedures. B., according to M. Weber, is technically the purest type of legal domination. He also formulated the basic requirements for officials: they are personally free and obey only business official duties; have a stable service hierarchy; have clearly defined competencies; work by virtue of a contract (based on free choice); work in accordance with special qualifications; are rewarded with constant cash salaries; consider their service as their only or main profession; envision their career; work in complete isolation from controls and without assigning official positions; are subject to strict, uniform official discipline and control. Under conditions of legal domination, there is always the danger of B. transforming from a servant of society into a closed caste standing above it. Methods of limiting capital include: regular rotation (proportional replacement after a certain period) of qualified personnel in the administrative apparatus and control over them by political institutions.

10) Bureaucracy- - a type of organization that has a clear hierarchy of power, regulations and instructions that determine behavior; a staff of officials working full time for pay.

Bureaucracy

1) a layer of employees, necessary and inevitable for any state, engaged in administrative and managerial work in the state, party and other apparatus and organizationally and politically ensuring the construction and functioning of the corresponding government, i.e. bureaucrats, bureaucrats, apparatchiks, office workers in the broad sense of the word; 2) the power of the apparatus of officials-bureaucrats. The most characteristic features of B. are privilege, power, authoritarianism, isolation and casteism, hierarchy, many steps, conformism, depersonalization, exaggeration of the role and importance of management activities and its forms. In the history of socio-political thought, M. Weber, T. Parsons, R. Merton, ATouldner and others paid especially much attention to the problem of B.

(French bureau - bureau, office; Greek kratos - power; - domination of the office) - a complex, contradictory socio-political phenomenon, a specific form of the universal organizational structure of society and the state. The emergence of bureaucracy is associated with the genesis of the state and the separation from the social strata of the population of a special group of people who exercise the function of managing society as a whole (officials). The place of bureaucracy in the system of managerial relations can be defined as average, intermediate between the political elite and the population, social communities of people. Through its activities, it connects the elite and the masses, being the main collective subject that contributes to the implementation of the guiding principles of the elite to the masses. This is its necessary, progressive significance and role in society and the state. But the nature of bureaucracy is dual. In addition to the noted side, it also has a negative side, which manifests itself in a unique way depending on the method of power, that is, the political regime. Thus, the development of bureaucracy under a totalitarian regime leads to the emergence of an alienated management system, divorced from the interests of the people. In such conditions, bureaucracy is characterized by the following main features: 1) it presents its own, professional interests as universal, expressing, in its opinion, the needs and interests of all members of society; 2) by absolutizing her own narrow professional interests, she creates the illusion (objective delusion) of her independence both from society as a whole and from the politically dominant force ruling in society and the state; 3) due to the fact that the activities of the bureaucracy are connected with the mechanism for the implementation of executive power in society and the state, it can practically have a significant influence on the development of the political process in the country, which is noted in Russia. References to the culture of bureaucratic power in our country are useless because some of its cultural manifestations cannot fundamentally change the relationship of dominance-subordination, in which “direct action is replaced by organizational action, and although calls for solidarity are heard, in reality subordination takes place "the law of oligarchy" (N. Luhmann).

A system of management carried out by a special layer of people who are called upon to ensure the effective functioning of state and other social institutions, have specific responsibilities and work in accordance with a hierarchy of authority.

1) a specific form of political, economic and other social organizations, for which the characteristic features are arbitrariness, subordination of the rules and tasks of activity, primarily for the purposes of its preservation and strengthening. 2) a system of management carried out with the help of an apparatus of power that has specific functions and privileges.

(French bureau - bureau, office and...cracy), initially - power, influence of leaders and officials of the government apparatus; in the future - the designation of a layer of employees in large organizations that have arisen in various spheres of society. As a necessary element of administration, bureaucracy turns into a special social layer, which is characterized by: hierarchy, strict regulation, division of labor and responsibility in the implementation of formalized functions that require special education. Bureaucracy is characterized by a tendency to become a privileged layer, independent of the majority of members of the organization, which is accompanied by an increase in formalism and arbitrariness, authoritarianism and conformism, and the subordination of the rules and tasks of the organization’s activities mainly to the goals of its strengthening and preservation.

1) a system of management of society carried out by a privileged caste of officials united by a common corporate interest; 2) type of organization, which is characterized by a clear management hierarchy, strict rules and standards of activity, and specialized distribution of labor.

(from French вurean) - green cloth that was used to cover the tables of officials of state offices, hence the term “bureaucrat”, i.e. mid-level government employee, official.

(French bureaucratie French bureau bureau, office + gr. kratos power, domination) - about the layer of people professionally involved in management issues and implementing the decisions of the highest authorities. Their activities are based on the separation of roles and functions through clear rules and procedures. B., according to M. Weber, is technically the purest type of legal domination. He also formulated the basic requirements for officials: they are personally free and obey only business official duties; have a stable service hierarchy; have clearly defined competencies; work by virtue of a contract (based on free choice); work in accordance with special qualifications; are rewarded with constant cash salaries; consider their service as their only or main profession; envision their career; work in complete isolation from controls and without assigning official positions; are subject to strict, uniform official discipline and control. Under conditions of legal domination, there is always the danger of B. transforming from a servant of society into a closed caste standing above it. Methods of limiting capital include: regular rotation (proportional replacement after a certain period) of qualified personnel in the administrative apparatus and control over them by political institutions.

A type of organization that has a clear hierarchy of power, regulations and instructions that determine behavior; a staff of officials working full time for pay.

The concept of bureaucracy came to us from foreign languages. The word consists of two bases: the French part bureaucratic, translated - the dominance of writing, papers, office, and the Greek kratos - power. In the modern understanding, bureaucracy means any form of organization of society that controls social relations, economic, ideological and political. At the same time, the subjects of executive power are divorced from the will and decisions of the society that created the bureaucratic structures. With such a system, form begins to prevail over the content of activity, and the main task of the bureaucracy becomes maintaining its own existence. Often, a bureaucratic system of government leads to the emergence of privileged classes in society.

The simpler "technical" meaning of the word bureaucracy is the organization itself, which, on a professional basis, with the help of civil servants performs the functions of executing public policy.

In general terms, we can name four meanings of the word “bureaucracy”:

• the actual organization of the process of governing the country and the delimitation of responsibilities of officials;
• creating a hierarchy of power and ensuring control over the vertical power structures;
• formalization and ensuring the consistency of management rules, norms and instructions;
• specialized impersonal and ideally impartial nature of relations within the system.

Where to find out what bureaucracy is

You can read what bureaucracy is primarily in the works of economists and political scientists, but these works are so long and complicated that it would be easier to turn to dictionaries and encyclopedias. The definition of bureaucracy is given by:

• Philosophical Encyclopedic Dictionary;
• Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language;
• New Philosophical Encyclopedia;
• Great Soviet Encyclopedia.

Despite the fact that some publications were published more than 50 years ago, the basic information in them does not lose its relevance, and the definitions are short and written in understandable language.

When did bureaucracy emerge?

Philosophical works on the institution and phenomenon of bureaucracy began to appear only in the eighteenth century. However, bureaucracy itself appeared as a management tool much earlier, almost simultaneously with the acquisition of writing by ancient civilizations.

The first structures that helped govern peoples were created in Ancient Sumer, about which we know not much. We can take a closer look at the beginnings of the bureaucratic system that operated in Ancient Egypt. Regarding Ancient China, even the author of the creation of the local bureaucracy is known - the philosopher Confucius. He tried to make the management system a benefit for the state and the population. But this is not always the case. In ancient Rome, the bureaucratic apparatus that grew to gigantic proportions during the time of Emperor Diocletian crushed the country's economy.

As a term, the word “bureaucracy” appeared in the 18th century in Europe.

On the harms and benefits of bureaucracy

As soon as people figured out what to call bureaucracy, they began to criticize it. Karl Marx was the first to reveal the negative aspects of this phenomenon in his works. He argued that the contemporary bureaucratic apparatus had lost its functions and became the reason that state organizations were losing the meaning and purpose of their activities, subordinating all functions to the task of self-preservation, growth and strengthening their position in society. State needs are replaced by clerical ones.

Many studies of bureaucracy and its impact on the economy and society as a whole rely on the work of sociologist, historian and philosopher Max Weber. He did not dwell on the harm of bureaucracy, but studied its structures, functions and possibilities for rational management of society. He developed the principles observing which bureaucracy benefits the state and the people:

• strict hierarchy;
• division of areas of competence;
• appointment rather than selection of candidates for positions;
• officials receiving salaries;
• creation of the concept of the profession “official”, rather than work on a voluntary basis;
• prohibition on ownership of the institution in which the official works;
• discipline and control over the activities of officials;
• the presence of higher authorities and relocation or removal from position by their decision.

The main condition for benefiting from the existence of the bureaucratic apparatus is its impartiality. Max Weber believed that bureaucratic officials would become people of “spiritual labor”, possessing competence and professional honor, however, as experience shows, he was greatly mistaken in this regard. At the same time, he understood that without high moral guidelines and a framework of professional pride, the bureaucracy would become a source of comprehensive corruption. He especially emphasized that the sphere of activity of an official cannot be politics.