Max Weber

Bureaucracy
Chip Sawyer
PA 302
February 6, 2006
Max Weber, 1864-1920

His Work
German political economist and sociologist
Rationalism in the sociology of religion and
government
Vast majority of works not translated into
English until after his death

Source: Wikipedia.org, retrieved Feb. 2006

Max Weber

His Worldview
A social liberal
nationalism based on classical republicanism
capitalism where workers are educated and given
political responsibility
Disliked nobility and monarchy
Generally supportive of German Imperialism
in WWI
Source: Wikipedia.org, retrieved Feb. 2006
Weber on Bureaucracy

An objective description
or is it...?
Discusses basic elements and principles
Bureaucracy

Hierarchy
Division of Labor
Consistency
Qualification
ProfessionalPrivate Separation
Devotion to Purpose
Advancement / Seniority
 Hierarchy Authority and
its flow
subordination
Highest Office
Such a system
offers the
governed the
High Office High Office possibility of
appealing the
decision of a lower
Low Office Low Office Low Office office to its higher
authority (p. 50).

Lowest Office Lowest Office Lowest Office Lowest Office

Division of Labor Specialization
Separation of
roles and
Executive duties
higher
Policy & authority [is not]
Operations
Planning authorized to take
over the business
Strategic Policy Regional
of the lower
Planning Development Management (p. 50).

Special Legislative
Office Staffing Maintenance
Projects Relations
 Consistency Rules
regulate all
matters
Not Special
abstractly.
i.e. no one is
special
Not Special Not Special
Management
Duties
Not Special Not Special Not Special
The Governed

Not Special Not Special Not Special Not Special

 Qualification Training and
qualification is
the number
PhD one requisite.
How to
manage
Masters Masters
How to carry
out duties
Bachelors Bachelors Bachelors Knowledge of
the rules

Associates Associates Associates Associates

 Separation of Professional &
Private The bureau
is separate
Orders filtering from the
of web surfing
private
domicile of
Loves work as a
Always makes
personal calls on
personal cell phone
break from the the official
family
(p. 51).
I certainly DID NOT
use my offices
Loves being Wouldnt even resources
able to leave THINK of
copier to print these
notes for you work at home stealing pens time

Never uses Glad s/he doesnt Wouldnt even

Treats company car
THINK of stealing
photocopier for have to live in this much better than
rubber cleaning
own tax forms cubicle personal POS
gloves
 Devotion to Purpose/Duty
Devotion is to
Devoted to
your work and
Bureau
Management
role, not to
person above
Devoted to Devoted to
Division Division you.
Management Management
[official] is not
considered the
Devoted to Devoted to Devoted to
Planning Policy Region
personal servant of a
ruler (p. 52).

Devoted to Devoted to Devoted to Devoted to

Project Schmoozing Office Toilets
Advancement and Seniority
The unspoken
Promoted here
agreement...
6 months ago
(and dont know what the
1. you hang
Hell Im doing) around
2. you climb
Promoted
here 7 years the ladder
ago 3. you get taken
care of
Promoted
here 17 years Salary and
ago Pension

Started here
25 years ago
The Contribution of Max Weber
Championed antipositivism in sociology and study
of public administration.
...but we wont get into that.
Laid the descriptive groundwork for bureaucracy
and the position/role of the state in government, politics
and peoples lives
Ever since then, public administration has studied
what actually happens when you stick human beings
into a bureaucracy.
So whats wrong with this picture?

Political
Appointee

Im WAY too
YOURE
qualified for
FIRING ME?!
this

Im Being
Im in love with I REALLY like
Micro-
my manager this pen
Managed

Im having a bad Who do you I REALLY like

I work at day. The next client
who calls me is dead think REALLY these rubber
home meat. runs this office? cleaning gloves