Propelling an organization to the pinnacle takes more than just good products, services, and capital. The company has to define their; “why” this is the purpose or vision of the company, “what” the product or service they provide, and “how” this is the process on how they do the things they do, it delves deep into the organizational culture. This culture informs the kind of management to adapt to align the company for profitability. To complete the cycle, people are necessary, they are the engine of every organization, integrating vision, products, culture, and leadership and communicating this effectively derives job satisfaction, productivity, and profitability. Bureaucratic systems are so rigid to innovation, change and human emotions and inspirations, this kind of management strategy are flawed and corrupt with power and politics. This paper seeks to decipher the causes and pitfalls of bureaucratic sclerosis.
Bureaucratic sclerosis is a concept that analyses the rigidness of the bureaucratic system to adapt to change and implement change. Technological revolution results in different changes that are much beneficial if a company implements these changes first and effectively they tend to reap big and stay ahead of the competition (Voet, 2014). Bureau sclerosis just like multiple sclerosis which causes hardening of the body tissue resulting in immune system damages does the same for an organization through conformity to different and rigid sets of rules and procedures (Voet, 2014). If not solved quickly, sclerosis can create a very toxic work environment that adversely affects the productivity of both the employees and the company subsequently.
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A hierarchical structure as evident in bureaucratic management style creates a big structure with different layers of management and one commander in chief. Bureaucratic sclerosis occurs because of one controlling head “CEO”; he/she solely makes decisions, communicates it through middle-level managers then managers to employees. This chain of communication causes lags which eventually compromises the effectiveness of the decisions made as they won’t be implemented at the right time (Appelbaum, Degbe, MacDonald, & Quang, 2015). Power-hungry mixed with toxic politics in a bureaucratic structure leads to a bad attitude towards the management and its culture. Rolling out a change in an organization with such a culture is such a daunting task, employees’ attitudes towards management, structure, and organizational culture aren’t pleasant, so definitely this change won’t materialize (Appelbaum, Degbe, MacDonald, & Quang, 2015). This rigidness is caused by overtime as a result of managers refusing to use an inspirational management approach to motivate people to be great, compel them to take pride in their jobs. Failure of bureaucratic structure to do this has led to clogging of systems in an organization and every innovation doesn’t see the light of the day because the system doesn’t provide enough oxygen for such innovations.
There are three important components in an organization; product, people, and process. Each one of these is important to the success of the company. To tackle bureaucratic sclerosis, there is a need to start with the process, how the company does the things they do, that is organizational culture (McDermott, Fitzgerald, & Buchanan, 2013). Reviewing of culture should alter procedures, rigid rules, and structure in an organization and inspire innovation, teamwork, and work responsibility. Bureaucratic sclerosis occurs because of the micromanagement of employees by both mid-level and senior managers in an organization (McDermott, Fitzgerald, & Buchanan, 2013). It is prudent therefore to allow employees to work and have full authority and responsibility for their work. In doing so, it inspires job satisfaction and allows employees to employ their creativity, collaborate, and foster the art of teamwork within the organization. Therefore, to effectively cut out bureaucratic sclerosis, it is necessary to change people and processes within the organization to enhance both organizational and people’s growth.
In conclusion, it befits to say that the bureaucratic system creates order, stability, and effectiveness, yes but we need more than this in a changing business environment, people and processes that can adapt to changes are necessary for success. There is a need to transform managers into leaders. It is the duty of a leader to listen, collaborate with his subordinates, and inspired them to work towards a common goal. The bureaucratic system doesn’t allow such, it is therefore important to address leadership loopholes in the system to avoid contracting bureaucratic sclerosis.
References
Appelbaum, S. H., Degbe, M., MacDonald, O., & Quang, T. S.-N. (2015). Organizational outcomes of leadership style and resistance to change (Part Two). Industrial and Commercial Training, 47 (3).
McDermott, A. M., Fitzgerald , L., & Buchanan, D. A. (2013). Beyond Acceptance and Resistance: Entrepreneurial Change Agency Responses in Policy Implementation. British Journal of Management, 24 , 93-115.
Voet, J. V. (2014). The effectiveness and specificity of change management in a public organization: Transformational leadership and a bureaucratic organizational structure. European Management Journal, 32 (3), 373-318.
