According to Max Weber, what are the characteristics and benefits of bureaucracies? What negatives can also result from bureaucracies?

Question

Please provide the best answer for the statement.

Answer 1

1. Bureaucracies are formal organizations organized into a hierarchy of smaller departments.
2. They are a logical extension of formal rationality, or the reasonable actions that
organizations and bureaucracies take to achieve their goals in the most effective and
efficient way.
3. In order to be most efficient, bureaucracies display these five ideal type characteristics: (1)
Division of labor, where workers are assigned specific specialized tasks. (2) Hierarchy of
authority, where decision-making power moves from the top (supervisors) down to
workers in lower positions. (3) Rules and regulations, which guide a bureaucracy’s actions
to ensure their tasks are performed uniformly. (4) Technical qualifications, which ensure
that hiring and promotions are based on a worker’s ability to perform a task. (5)Impersonality, so that workers perform “without hatred or passion,” meaning that all
clients are treated equally.
4. While these characteristics lead to more efficient and effective organizations, they can also
lead individuals to feel as if they are robots, working in what Weber refers to as the iron
cage.