Bureaucracy Is Still Relevant for Understanding Organisations in 21st Century

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As the world shifted from the local competitive market towards globalisation, customers were made more vigilant and had information to influence their purchasing power resulting in power shifting from sellers to buyers and bureaucracy started to fade away. Bureaucracy couldn’t succeed today as it decreases morale and creates mediocrity and conformity. (Anon., n.d.). People are infuriated at the thought of being treated as a number rather than a person. High bureaucratic structures, though fine for old innovative companies are not advisable for mature markets because they are not able to quickly move on new ideas and not able to restructure their workplaces where they can utilize the ideas of their employees and take advantage of new manufacturing techniques (power, 2013). But Styhre (Jon, 2011) through his studies on bureaucracy and post-bureaucracy organisations displays bureaucracy having complementing factors as well. The studies he carried out on large and trending firms Volvo Car Co. and AstraZenca display a favourable and acceptable form of bureaucracy. It was capable of recognizing the functional organisation and adapting to the sustained external environment conditions. The concept of innovating around bureaucracy by (Styhre, 2007) describes how through creating a structure to come up with ideas, motivational push by leaders who push bureaucracy, there can be a organisation build around bureaucracy which can withhold the requirements of successive functioning organisation. Most organisations today are a variant of bureaucracy as characterized by high degree of division of labour, developed hierarchical control, chain of command, the numerous rules and conduct standards required and professional qualities (Myint, n.d.). Bureaucracy thus, appears to be undergoing changes that will result in positive results in near-future. Organisational structures are also changing to promote flexibility and responsiveness. (Grey, 2013) identifies the relevance of bureaucracy in a decorous way stating bureaucracy as having attributes of efficiency and fairness so it still persists, and though the mainstream perspective of bureaucracy in organisational structure is negative, post-bureaucratic structure of organisations is still the old layout in a new format.

Conclusion

Through the various arguments built in the literature review, this essay concludes that though it appears a need to change the organisational structures in terms of size, division of labour and various environmental factors, bureaucracy still exists and is therefore pertinent in organisations in one form or another. It still exists because it is required by contemporary large structured organisations to keep tabs of various departments and work in a productive way. Evaluating various instances of a bureaucratic organisation, it is indicated that bureaucracy has both merits and demerits in its application. The circumstances, the method of application and approach conducted will deter the positive or negative impacts of bureaucracy. Though organisations try to distance themselves in the 21st century from bureaucracy, there is no escape from it, as has always been the case it will always exist in their roots one way or another.

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