Characteristics of Bureaucracy - What is Bureaucracy - Edupedia

 

Bureaucracy:

            The bureaucracy is actually consisting of the executive department’s high level officials. These high level officials are commonly called bureaucrat. The bureaucrats are the main pillar of the administrating and implementing the policies, rules and regulations in the organizations, societies or countries. These bureaucrats are highly qualified personals having a great knowledge and experience at work.

Definition:

Bureaucracy is a formal form of structure in which, there are strict rules and regulation, administrated by the centralized command with hierarchy of authority and rational division of labor.

Characteristics of bureaucracy:

Bureaucracy is a structure of the administration having rational division of labor hierarchy of authority following rigid rules and regulation to administrate the affairs of the society, country or any kind of organization. It is considered as a centralized system in which high level officials makes the ultimate decisions and implement on the whole society. The main characteristics of the bureaucracy are here as under:

v  Jurisdictional competency:

v  Command and control:

v  Continuity:

v  Professionalization

v  Rules and regulations:

v                      Hierarchy:

v                      Division of Labor:

Characteristics of bureaucracy:

Bureaucracy is a structure of the administration having rational division of labor hierarchy of authority following rigid rules and regulation to administrate the affairs of the society, country or any kind of organization. It is considered as a centralized system in which high level officials makes the ultimate decisions and implement on the whole society. The main characteristics of the bureaucracy are here as under:

v  Jurisdictional competency:

v  Command and control:

v  Continuity:

v  Professionalization

v  Rules and regulations:

v  Hierarchy:

v  Division of Labor:

 

Jurisdictional competency:

Jurisdiction means the limitations of responsibilities to every individual possessing a definite role. The responsibilities of every individual are broad up through a hierarchic system and chain of commands. The division of the labor in the bureaucratically system is implied on the base of skills and competence through a complete chain of command.  It is a key element of bureaucratic organization, which is broken into units with defined responsibilities. Although the division of labor is highly efficient but in case, if the individual doesn’t have adequate skill in a problem, it may lead to failure.

Command and control:

Bureaucracy is a system of channel of command and control. Every official in this system is responsible to his higher level official. The hierarchy of the command and control tends from upward to low ward. The authority and powers in the hand of upper level official works as glue for bonding the structure and preventing the official from being un checked.

Continuity:

Another important element of bureaucratic organization is continuity. Rational-legal authority necessitates uniform rules and procedures for written documents and official behavior. In this form of system, the official changes but office continues, so the ability to utilize standard operating procedures makes organizations more efficient by decreasing the costs attached to any given transaction. There is a formal method, means that organizations have complete record of practices, behaviors, procedures of works and personnel records. Continuity also may lead a bureaucracy to repeat regularly activities that may be inaccurate and whose inaccuracies thereby cumulative.

Professionalization

In bureaucratically form of management the officials are highly professional, which means they are more responsible to their duties. Generally, the bureaucrat are selected on high level test based system and they are highly qualified, disciplined and professionals. They are commonly civil servants whose positions are based on merit.  They are most time the permanent office holder of the high level governing officials having their position for long time off period distinct from the politicians who serves for limited time of period.

In private sector and other type of non government sectors, bureaucracy also works. Professionalism is a key to success and also survives the organization from falling into crises. Even when organizations are temporarily leaderless or experience turmoil in their top leadership positions, the professional cadre helps the organizations to maintain equilibrium. Without the professional set of corporation, organizations would suffer from crises induced by incompetency. Professionalization thus contributes to the superior technical proficiency.

Rules and regulations:

A bureaucratically system of the organization highly tends toward strict rules and regulations. Rules are considered as the bloodline for these types of the organizations. They strict rule and regulations are highly needed in the large scale setup and governmental institutes. Although in private sector especially people dislikes the strict rules and regulations but they are still the backbone for maintaining law and order situations. Theses rule and regulations clears the right pathway and right procedures for which everyone is oblige of.

Hierarchy:

Hierarchy is the most common element of the bureaucracy. The hierarchy means scaling of the power with most at the top level officials and least power for the low level officials. In this kind of system every official is accountable to his higher level officials. Hierarchy is also commonly termed as division of labor from the top level to the lowest level.

Division of Labor:

Bureaucracy is a form of structure having the rational division of labor. Division of labor means that a unique and separation of the work. Every of the employee is assigned with a specific task and he is obliged to do that task defiantly.

Summary:

By clearing these terms we are in a position to understand that bureaucratic type of organizations tends to regulation in the procedures, a system of hierarchy I which there is accountability and responsibility, Hierarchy of the system, division of labor, specialization, professionalism and continuity of the procedures.

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