Chapter 5: Life in Groups P3

What is bureaucracy?

an organizational model that is rationally designed to
perform complex tasks efficiently

Who developed the concept of bureaucracy?

Max Weber

What are the six characteristics of bureaucracy?

1. Specialization

2. Hierarchy of offices

3. Technical competence

4. Rules and regulations

5. Impersonality

6. Written communication

What is specialization?

everyone is assigned a specific task. Each office has
a specific task.

Which characteristic is demonstrated by separate offices for Enrollment Services, Advising, and Veterans Affairs?

Specialization

What are Hierarchy of offices?

The people in charge are at the top and the
subordinates are beneath them

Which characteristic is demonstrated by the Board of Regents, Chancellor, Provost, Dean, and Department Chair structure?

Hierarchy of offices

What is Technical competence?

All workers are trained to do their jobs.
They should be qualified and be able to complete the work efficiently

What are Rules and regulations?

This makes operations more predictable. Rules protect the employer and employee

What is Impersonality?

Everyone is treated the same. No one is given
special treatment. This would slow the operations down

What is Written communication?

This allows for information to be dispersed quickly and efficiently. Written is always better than verbal communication because there is no room for misunder-standing.

Which characteristic is demonstrated by emails and written reports?

Written communication

Which characteristic is demonstrated when employees receive training?

Technical competence

Which characteristic requires treating everyone equally?

Impersonality

What are the limitations of bureaucracy?

1. waste

2. incompetence

3. alienation

4. bureaucratic ritualism

What is waste?

When we think of waste, we think of wasted materials and money. We also need to think about time.

What is Parkinson's Law?

Work expands to fill the time available.

An employee that normal completes 8 reports a day has only four reports to complete but still takes all day. What concept is illustrated?

Parkinson's Law

What is Incompetence?

People may not always know how to do their jobs,
this may also include those in charge.

What is the Peter Principle?

Bureaucrats are promoted to their level of incompetence

A worker keeps receiving promotions until they can no longer perform effectively. What concept is this?

Peter Principle

What is alienation?

Workers may feel disconnected from their work and
just do exactly what they HAVE to do.

Employees only do the bare minimum because they feel unappreciated. What concept is illustrated?

Alienation

What is bureaucratic ritualism?

Bureaucrats get so caught up abiding by the
rule that they forget the original purpose of the organization.

What is an example of Bureaucratic Ritualism?

Hospitals may be concerned whether or not a patient has insurance before they treat the sick patient.

What is abuse of power?

People at the top may be in a position to use
their power for their own financial gain or other resources

Who studied Japanese organizations?

Rosabeth Moss Kanter

What three characteristics did Kanter find in Japanese companies?

1. Bottom-up decision making

2. Cross-training

3. Company involvement in workers' lives

What is Bottom-up decision making?

the people at the bottom get to make important decisions

What are Workers are cross-trained?

they learn how to do several jobs

What are The company is involved in worker’s lives?

they are concerned about the health and well-being of their employees.

What does "Karoshi" mean?

Death by overwork.

Why is Karoshi important when discussing Japanese organizations?

It highlights the dangers of excessive work and the need for work-life balance.