Bureaucracy and Post-bureaucracy

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Page 480
Bureaucracy and Post-bureaucracy
Christopher Grey
Key concepts and learning objectives
By the end of this chapter you should understand:
480
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The two models of organizations – bureaucracy and post-bureaucracy – and what is claimed about the reasons for
their existence and the benefits and limitations of each.
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The disputes about their value from the point of view of efficiency, but you should also understand that efficiency
itself is a disputed concept.
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The different concepts of rationality in organizations and how these relate to the two models.
●
The political and ethical issues that inform debates about the two models.
Aims of the chapter
Overview and key points
This chapter will:
Bureaucracy is a model of organization based upon rules, hierarchy,
impersonality and a division of labour and has been the dominant form
of organization for over a century. However, it suffers from problems such
as poor employee motivation, producer-focus and inertia. In view of this,
post-bureaucracy has been proposed as a new organizational model more
suited to today’s business environment. Post-bureaucracy is based on
trust, empowerment, personal treatment and shared responsibility.
But this brings its own problems in terms of loss of control, risk and
unfairness.
These models and problems derive from mainstream thinking. Such
thinking is concerned with narrow views of efficiency and is guided by a
search for control and performance. Critical approaches provide a more radical analysis of bureaucracy and post-bureaucracy. From a critical perspective
bureaucracy is seen as dehumanizing and post-bureaucracy is interpreted as
an extension of control. Moreover, both are criticized for seeking efficiency
from the point of view of those with power, to the neglect of other people
and of the ethical purposes and consequences of organization. However,
among other limitations, critical approaches can be seen as utopian.
●
Explain bureaucracy and postbureaucracy as models of
organization.
●
Explain the deficiencies of each
model from mainstream
perspectives.
●
Examine some major mainstream
studies.
●
Identify critical approaches to each
model.
●
Examine some major critical
studies.
●
Explain the strengths and
weaknesses of the critical
approaches.