BUREAUCRACY *Bureaucracy is an accomplishment, as well as an irritant Affordable care act -Bureaucracy getting a bad name -Seems incredibly complicated People & Bureaucracy -Bloated -Doesn’t care about you -Treated as a number Max Weber-Frames Bureaucracy in terms of understanding power -Power vs Authority ex. someone holding gun to your head holds power; people with authority are ac-knowledged ~ taxes (acknowledging that they have the right to do this ~ voluntarily)-Argues there are 3 stages 1.) Charismatic leadership (greek for “touched by God”)-Hitler -Martin Luther King Jr. (Pastor at church - become key leaders)-Problem ~ based upon worship of the leader (Martin got the Nobel Peace Prize & when he was assassinated, they didn’t know who to give the prize to)2.) Traditional Authority -Queen Victoria - inherited authority -solution to the problem of succession (not following a charismatic leader ~ following the king-People believed that God picked the people who become king -Parallels between heaven & earth (Picture of Jesus & the disciples & king & all his followers -Problem ~ bloodlines can’t guarantee talented leadership 3.) Rational - legal authority -authority granted to a set of rules (ex. the US ~ no king) -constitution - rules we live by/laws that will govern the nation-Works for Religions, Universities, Businesses ~ structure for rules-Weber offers 6 characteristics:1.) Specialization ~ division of labor 2.) Competence ~ training to perform roles 3.) Hierarchy ~ clear lines of authority 4.) Rules & Regulations ~ specified procedures to follow 5.) Impersonality ~ who you are shouldn’t matter 6.) Formal, Written Communication ~ there are records -Hallmark of Bureaucracy:-the organization chart -Bureaucracies interlock to create complex social systems ADVANTAGES -they can be rather large -to control a large amount of space - bureaucracies are needed -to last long periods of time *Still, bureaucracies have tensions George Ritzer -McDonaldization - modern bureaucracy - McDonald’s is a new kind of bureaucracy -Narrowly defined set of rules -Scripted interaction -From a limited menu, to options for different ages & lifestyles -Countries that have McDonald’s don’t go to war (not completely true)PROBLEMS WITH BUREAUCRACIES -World War I trench warfare -machine guns-19th century - battles were fought by masses of troops Societies depend on organizations with bureaucracies -Organizations can mobilize resources to solve problems -ex. march of dimes for polio -vaccinations for kids **Primary impulse of bureaucracies-they want to continue to
View Full Document
Unlocking...