A bureaucracy can be a social system, government or administration with a complex structure and rules. The types of administrations include college, work, IRS, medical offices, or the Post Office. Bureaucracies help in formalizing situations either at work or in social places. It is goal oriented to ensure achievement of desired objectives (Elwell, n.d.). Weber introduced bureaucracy to restore a sense of rationalization (Organizational Communication Channel, 2016) . Hence, they are appropriate in most institutions. However, some people may find bureaucracies to be cumbersome or biased thus criticize them. This paper aims to describe the bureaucracy that I have experienced, shortcomings that are in administration, and solutions to the demerits.
I came into contact with work bureaucracy during my internship as a social worker in a local hospital. During the internship period, one does not stick to a specific area such as the reception desk to gain diverse practical experience other than the theory acquired from school. There was a time that I was serving as a receptionist in the medical facility and received a patient that I had previously attended to, who left contented. Despite being in the reception area, the patient requested my service since she was comfortable with me. Even though it took me long to clarify to the patient that I could not serve her, my efforts were in vain. I had to place a request to my supervisor who had to go through the human resource manager for my plea to be approved.
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Several shortcomings in bureaucracy based on my experience include the hierarchical structure. It is cumbersome because people in the lower division lack a voice in the decision-making process (Khan Academy, n.d.). For instance, in my situation, I could not serve my patient instantly because my hands were tied. I had to follow the protocol, which at times may fail. Moreover, the procedure lowers employees’ confidence and morale to serve people in an ethical manner (Khan Academy, n.d.). Another disadvantage of bureaucracy is the existence of many rules plus regulations. As much as the two are meant to ascertain uniformity in service delivery, they can obstruct goals attainment (Khan Academy, n.d.). Most service and product based companies are focused on rendering quality that can only be rated by customers’ satisfaction. If a consumer leaves unsatisfied, then the rating of a given organization decreases.
It is very complicated to solve such shortcomings because if rules and regulations are not set in any given firm, then it will lack a sense of direction. Consequently, personnel will be working when/as they please thus lowering the quality offered/expected. As much as the two are crucial to an institution’s success, there ought to be a protocol for placing emergency requests to motivate employees and also make customers feel acknowledged. Hierarchy is essential for large organizations to ensure effective decisions are made but there needs to be room for those in lower ranks to air their opinions to make them feel appreciated thus boosting an organization’s yield.
Social group membership gives some individuals an advantage when navigating this type of bureaucracy. Some people may feel that since they are close to their superior, then they can navigate rules and regulations. As much as they do as they please, at times they may save a company from falling. Rather than waiting for a decision from top managers, they handle a situation diligently and then explain their course of action later.
In conclusion, bureaucracy can be a social system, government or administrative division with a complex structure and rules. It is goal oriented to ensure achievement of desired objectives. One can come into contact with bureaucracy at work or social places. The shortcomings of administrations include rules and regulations as well as a hierarchy. As much as they may inconvenience staff members, they are also crucial elements for success.
References
Elwell, F. (n.d.). The Sociology of Max Weber. Retrieved from http://academic.udayton.edu/RichardGhere/POL%20307/weber.htm
Khan Academy. (n.d.). Characteristics of an Ideal Bureaucracy . Retrieved from https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/individuals-and-society/social-interactions/v/characteristics-of-an-ideal-bureaucracy
Organizational Communication Channel. (2016, October 18). Bureacracy , .edu - Yahoo Video Search Results [Video file]. Retrieved from https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=A0geKV8BQxZbSzgAAycPxQt.?p=Bureacracy+%2C+.edu&fr=yhs-lvs-awc&fr2=piv-web&hspart=lvs&hsimp=yhs-awc&type=lvs__webcompa__1_0__ya__ch_WCYID10444__180403__yaff#id=2&vid=e8b2ec7c29c0462c85825d551600c314&action=view
