Monday, April 13, 2009

Bureaucracy in concrete

I will relate Weber's preconditions to bureaucracy to ABC Concrete.
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousApril 13, 2009 at 9:39 AM

    Max Weber states that organization under bureaucracy excelled do to its technical superiority over all other forms of organization (214). Furthermore, he believed that rationality referred to the means of efficient calculations in order to accomplish certain goals. And for Weber, the two terms: bureaucracy, and rationality were inseparable. In order to maximize the effectiveness of rational bureaucracy, certain pre-conditions had to be in place.
    Historically we needed four elements to be in effect in order to form the basis of the six institutions of Weber’s bureaucracy: a money economy, democracy, a concentration of the means of production, and the effectiveness of the roman laws.
    Weber’s institutions of bureaucracy were fixed jurisdiction, which expressed the duties and rules that were expected of the qualified personal. A hierarchy of positions, which offers the governed, an opportunity of appealing decisions they may disagree with, to a higher office position. Bureaucratic management through written documents put in place to enforce the bureaucratic structure, and to minimize personal favoritism. Experienced and capable workers fill the existence of expert training, to ensure that positions within the organization are capable of achieving goals. Official business demands the full capability the official. And finally, the management through a stable set of rules was put in place, to ensure administrative and business management (196-198). Weber believed that with these institutions in place, organizations were able to eliminate regulation through individual favors and privileges, and promote fairness (198).
    Weber states that with these institutions in place, the appointed official was expected to fulfill his obligations of faithful management, in exchange for a secure existence, which included a certain social esteem, a salary based on status, and a career for life.
    ABC Concrete.
    ABC concrete, although exercised bureaucratic features would not be what I would call a rational bureaucracy. Although we had fixed jurisdiction, the question of hierarchy was always the centre of debate. Besides the owners, who were at the top of the hierarchical order, and the appointed official (me), the order was purposely left unclear from the drivers, the mechanics, and the office workers. What this did was promote ambiguity within the company. From a workers point of view I could see how unstable it left the workers, job security was always an excuse for the personal decisions that were made, and there was no unity amongst the workers whatsoever. Whereas this was tough for the workers, it was ingenious for the owners. With this insecurity ingrained in the workers, nothing happened in the company without the owners knowing. The workers were watching each other like hawks; they were ready to set each other up with the thought of personal improvement. This also affected the so-called expert training, because the guys were not paid any extra to train the new guys, little effort was made to help. The drivers couldn’t wait to get them out of their trucks, due to the fact that if their trucks broke down while they were training new guys, they had to wait for their truck to be fixed. As for the mechanics and office workers, when a new worker would come to the company, the older workers would enforce their own hierarchical seniority upon them. Needless to say, besides one mechanic, and one office lady, we got a lot of turnover.
    And finally, as far as the rules are concerned, although they were in place, they were enforced separately on each worker, when certain rules were broken; actions that were taken were to benefit the owners. If the problem could be solved discreetly (which was seldom due to the fact that people were always watching), the owners would brush it by, but would let you know you owed them one. I used to tell these guys that they were in debt to the family for life, and they were.

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