Metaphor - Organisations as machines (Bureaucratic, Managerial and Technocratic Theories)
Bureaucracy - the word to no doubt bring discontent to the minds of most human service workers. How often have you felt or said ‘my job would be so much easier and better if I didn't have to deal with the damn bureaucracy!'
The ‘psychic prison' as mentioned in the text and defined by Strati (2000:52) is based on a market economy where workers become cogs in the wheel of the machine in order to maximise efficiency and profit. These ideas were based on concepts embedded in managerialism (that we looked at last week) and neoliberalism.
Max Weber in the early 20th century conceptualised bureaucracy as a powerful theory of how organisations should function and his work is still influential today. Authority is clearly defined within this model, with its focus on rules and regulations. Clear structures designate how decisions are made and it is assumed that all workers share the goals of the bureaucracy for efficiency and smooth running.
According to Gardner (2016:39) there are 7 key attributes in a bureaucracy:
• A hierarchical structure, with the number of levels varying depending generally on the size of the organisation
• Each level with specified levels of responsibility and decision - making
• Creation of positions with job descriptions that workers then apply to fill
• Work based on accepted rules and procedures
• Emphasis on precision and reliability - consistency of decision - making
• Recruitment on the basis of ability and knowledge/qualification
There was some movement toward a greater focus on the different goals and needs of various elements on the organisation following the rise of the bureaucratic structures, which allowed some energy to be used to emphasise a more change culture within organisations.
However, managerialism remained strong.
Answer these question=
1. How can the organisation be understood from the metaphor analogy above?
2. In what ways would this be helpful for a worker within the organisation?
3. in what ways would this be problematic for the worker?