'Bureaupathology denigrates competence in organisation'. Explain
Paper 1 : Administrative Thought | 2019
Bureaupathology is a bureaucratic illness due to the dysfunctional features of Bureaucracy.
Max Weber’s model of Bureaucracy:
According to Weber’s Theory of Domination, ‘ Legal Rational Authority’ is an effective type to run an organization.
To run such kind of an organization, he created a structural model- Bureaucracy with some key features:
Hierarchy
Impersonality
Written Records
Specialization
Merit-based promotions etc.
This was Weber’s mental map of ideal type. In reality, it has its own flaws.
Bureaupathology:
The ideal characteristics or features of Bureaucracy given by Weber do not work in reality sometimes.
Bureaucracy sometimes faces issues of dysfunctional characters like
Goal displacement - too many complications in procedures
Self-serving tendency - Budget maximization of ministries
Self-aggrandization - too many recruitments for doing the same job.
Red tapism - Corruption
Rigidity - Overlap of work between ministries due to working in silos.
Way forward:
Bureaupathology can be avoided with regular training of personnel, merit-based promotions, and appraisal - Eg: 360-degree appraisal
Can this answer be written differently?
We would like to know multiple views on the same topic
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According to me since the demand is to explain we can add some positives of the theory like merit based recruitment and promotion and anonymity which is good for competence of the organisation and not necessarily a pathology
Shoudnt we also include the consquences of Bureaupathology like Leads to low social capital , Marginalisation of vulnerable sections etc ?