Week 1: Changing Nature of Work: Bureaucracy, Globalization & Technology Flashcards
What is a bureaucracy?
An administrative structure that allows for the creation and organization of formal rules and processes
Explain the rise of bureaucracy and ‘big’ organizations
Bureaucracies increased during the industrial rev. when many factories were created in urban sites which led to the specialization of tasks
Compare the structure of a large organization vs. a small organization
Large: typically uses a dispersed hierarchy (branches, levels, etc) and uses bureaucracy to create organization. Workers have specialized tasks
Small: Less employees means employees must be skilled in more than one task, giving them more decision making power.
Compare the rewards of working in a large organization vs. a small one
Large: EXTRINSIC REWARDS -> higher pay, opportunity for career development
Small: INTRINSIC REWARDS -> meaningful work, personal relationships
What is a compensating differential?
Larger firms need to increase extrinsic rewards to make up for lack of intrinsic rewards
What are the 5 elements of bureaucracy?
Rationality, Impersonality, Meritocracy, High specialization and Record Keeping
What are the 2 forms of rationality?
Substantive - substance or content; rational means to achieving ends for organization; aligning with ethical principle
Formal - process and structure Ex. Keeping checks and balances
What is impersonality?
Idea that employees are “Treated like a number” - focus on ability to work and nothing else; allows for greater inclusion compared to kin/family owned businesses
When does bureaucracy work?
Coordination of large numbers of people on large scales of business - Ex. Large factories, governments
Weber’s Ideal type: some orgs. Will have all of the elements of bureaucracy
When doesn’t bureaucracy work?
Alienation
Red tape - rigid/redundant/excessive rules
Hard to initiate change within the bureaucracy
Slow moving
What are the critiques of McDonaldization? (High routinization in service economies)
De-skilling; specialized instead of having more skills
Easily replaced; high turn-over
Hinders human needs; resistance to bottom-up change
Personality - “just following the rules”
What is a Matrix?
Exist in long term or organically occur
Tends to have both horizontal and vertical dimensions - Vertical: Teams, units
Horizontal: projects
What is an adhocracy?
Org has common goals but no consensus
Feedback in the enviro constantly fuelling ideas - Ex. Wikipedia
Open forum
What is a modified bureaucracy?
Less radical bureau. Structures
□ Lateral organization
□ Better use of people it employs and facilitates communication/motivation
□ Ex. Facebook
