Complex Organizations Charles Perrow Why Bureaucracy Traditional v

Complex Organizations Charles Perrow

Why Bureaucracy? Traditional v. Bureaucratic Organizations Traditional Organizations: - non-specialized - personalized - informal - arbitrary Bureaucratic Organizations - routinized, rule-bound - de-personalized - hierarchical, and specialized

Why Bureaucracy? Example of the traditional organization: Gypsum Wall Board Plant: Great Lakes Region (1950) - Non-specialized: try any job that seems interesting - Personalized: most of the workers knew or were related to each other - Informal: workers controlled the pace, re-interpreted/ignored the rules - Informal: worker used or appropriated plant materials - Arbitrary: employment was based on personal connections, not skills

Why Bureaucracy? Example of the bureaucratic organization: New management: Gypsum Wall Board Plant: Great Lakes Region (1950) The new management introduced stricter rule enforcement, including: - Routinized, rule-bound: specific job descriptions, apply to all - De-personalized: standardized hiring procedures (Demoted old hiring manager). - Hierarchical, and specialized: linked positions to skills - Formality: no right to position, no appropriation of plant resources (resources owned by the organization, not the worker or foreman).

Why Bureaucracy? The Limitations of Bureaucratic Organization: True, or full bureaucratization is rarely achieved. Several factors routinely limit the full application of bureaucratic principles: 1. Human Personality: The difficulty of eliminating extra organizational influences: people do not exist for organizations, and have interests and values that may be inconsistent with organizational objectives. 2. Bureaucracies Require Stability: rapid (social/economic) changes can upset bureaucratic order. 3. Bureaucracies Expect Superhuman Performance: not built for average performance.

Why Bureaucracy? Critiques of Bureaucracy: Many scholars have argued that bureaucracies are 1. Unadaptive (does not respond well to change) 2. Stifling (of freedom, spontaneity, self realization) Are these really problems? Unadaptive could also be seen as reliable. Additional criticisms: Bureaucracies and Power “Bureaucracies have become a means of centralizing power and legitimizing or disguising” it.

Why Bureaucracy? Critiques of Bureaucracy:

Why Bureaucracy? Critiques of Bureaucracy: Particularism: employment or promotion is based on criteria that is relevant to efficient production. Hiring in other words is personalized, rather than bureaucratized. Universalistic criteria: employment or promotion is based on competence and qualifications.