Max Weber identified bureaucracy as an ideal type. Define bureaucracy and discuss three of its components. Address what Max Weber meant by the term ideal type.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Varies but should include definition of bureaucracy as a highly rational organization, especially one that is very efficient. It should also include three of the following components: Positions within the organization have official functions and are bound by a set of rules; each office has a sphere of competence and the authority to handle specific tasks in that sphere; positions exist in a vertical hierarchy; positions have technical requirements, and those who hold those offices must undergo the needed training; those who occupy positions do not own the equipment needed for the job, as it is provided by the company; those who occupy particular offices-CEOs, for example-do not get to keep them when they leave, as they remain part of the organization; everything with any formal importance is documented in writing. An ideal type is a pure type of a category within a conceptual system. A pure example of an ideal type is not expected to be found in the real world, but typologies with such clearly defined categories help to simplify understanding of the real world.