See what “Bureaucracy” is in other dictionaries. About bureaucracy and bureaucracy in simple words What is bureaucracy in history

20.04.2021

We have to deal with such a concept as bureaucracy to modern man more and more often. As a rule, many perceive the essence of bureaucracy as something bad and preventing ordinary citizens from getting the desired result when communicating with officials and employees of various organizations. But what is this concept really? This is discussed in detail in our article.

Definition of “bureaucracy”

This concept is a combination of two words - French bureau, Greek κράτος and is translated as “office” and “power”, that is, the dominance of the office. What does this mean?

So, in simple words Bureaucracy is a certain social layer of managers included in a certain organizational structure, which is characterized by a vertical information flow, a clear hierarchy and formalized decision-making.

In addition, this concept is usually understood as a certain layer of officials who oppose themselves to society and occupy a privileged position in it. In general, bureaucracy is not only managers, but also a system that is created in government bodies and organizations.

Thus, bureaucracy should be understood as:

The category of people who occupy managerial positions are endowed with expanded powers and participate in the process of making important decisions.
A process in which different segments of the population participate to achieve certain goals.

Weber's theory of bureaucracy

Max Weber (economist and sociologist) was the first to study this phenomenon and initiated its detailed study.

The scientist identified the following principles of the concept of bureaucracy:

hierarchy of orders, which is built on legal authority;
at the head of all subordinates there is a boss who is responsible for himself and for the actions of his employees;
labor must be divided according to specialization and functions;
a refined system for performing labor processes;
The promotion system is built on the basis of experience, skills, abilities and has its own standards.

Weber used the term as a definition of a rational organization that has clear development goals without favoritism. In his understanding, bureaucracy is an ideal system for managing social structures and their structural divisions.

Weber believed that bureaucracy would give officials the opportunity to achieve the goals of the organization through a clear distribution of labor functions and following accepted rules for their implementation.

Weber gave the following characterization of rational bureaucracy:

cohesion of actions to achieve set goals;
the action of impersonal rules;
responsibility for each area of work;
hierarchical dependence.

In the process of detailed study, Weber began to distinguish between positive and negative management styles. By irrational (negative) bureaucracy, he understood a system in which processes become an end in themselves, which negatively affects the success of the organization. In other words, bureaucracy is not a way to achieve the goals of an enterprise, but a meaningless proliferation of its attributes (orders, instructions, instructions, etc.).

The concept of bureaucracy according to sociologists R. Merton and A. Gouldner

Merton and Gouldner argued that managers and bureaucrats often make bureaucracy an end in itself. At the same time, achieving success for the entire company fades into the background. It becomes more important to conduct business correspondence, introduce standards, norms and rules, as well as monitor their compliance.

Merton described bureaucracy as follows:

as a result of strict implementation of all formalities, managers lose the ability to make decisions at their level (they become dependent on the opinions of their superiors);
the main task of employees is to strictly follow the prescribed rules and instructions;
rigid boundaries force managers at all levels to give up creative thinking: they begin to live within the framework of stereotypical thinking.

All difficulties and negative processes in organizations often result from the exaggeration of standardized norms. Employees know how they should act in certain situations, but, as a rule, the rigidity of the framework of behavior and actions worsens interaction with the external environment.

According to this theory of bureaucracy, this method of management has significant negative features:

human nature is ignored;
in society, alienation becomes the norm;
a person cannot express his opinion, especially that which goes against generally accepted thinking;
people begin to subordinate personal goals to those accepted by the organization;
There is opportunism in organizations.

A. Gouldner divided bureaucracy into two types - representative (authority is guided by knowledge, experience and skills) and authoritarian (authority turns obedience to rules into an end in itself).

Types of bureaucracy

During the study, the bureaucracy changed significantly. This occurred under the influence of the development of organizational structures in government and various institutions.

Today there are three types of bureaucracy:

Classic or hardware.
Professional.
Adhocracy.

It is worth considering each of these types in detail.

Classic bureaucracy

Classical bureaucracy is complete adherence to generally accepted rules and regulations and the performance of general management functions.

The following advantages of classical bureaucracy can be identified:

unification of activities;
stability of the organization;
centralization of management;
clear division of labor.

At the same time, the following disadvantages are highlighted:

psychological and mental abilities of workers are secondary factors of labor;
poor motivation of the organization's employees;
decisions made in unforeseen situations often turn out to be untimely and ineffective.

As a rule, classical bureaucracy is the basis of management in government bodies and enterprises that are subordinate to them. At the same time, it is also effective in companies that are poorly focused on the external environment. This type fully corresponds to M. Weber’s model.

Adhocracy

Adhocracy is a type of bureaucracy that involves solving professional difficulties and tasks by uniting certain workers who are needed in a particular situation, because they will be able to apply all their skills and experience.

The difference between adhocracy and rational bureaucracy is that the former does not have a clear division of labor, a strict hierarchy and is subject to minimal formality.

Professional bureaucracy

This type assumes that managers are clearly focused on their theoretical and practical knowledge, and are also not random people, but real professionals.

A professional bureaucracy has the following characteristics:

high level of managerial competence;
the conditions for the management process are taken into account;
less formalization of working relationships;
each manager can independently make decisions at his own level, while senior managers may not be aware of the decisions being made in some areas of work;
jobs are grouped based on the hierarchy and functions of workers.

At the same time, some of the advantages of professional bureaucracy include:

tasks, including extraordinary ones, are solved much easier and faster;
high motivation, both personal and general (organizational);
employees have the opportunity to approach problems more creatively.

Disadvantages of professional bureaucracy can be:

a sharp decrease in the efficiency of workers in the absence of a development trend for the enterprise;
the constant need of the organization for the correct search and placement of personnel, since it is necessary to find worthy candidates who can be responsible for their area and apply their own experience and knowledge in their workplace;
the need to use power not only within the framework of coercion and reward, but also expert and informational power.

Russian bureaucracy

In Russia, bureaucracy, unfortunately, is the basis for constructing the work of most government institutions, departments and organizations. Therefore, most often one has to deal with such a type as apparatus bureaucracy, but at the same time it is often distorted. Thus, on paper in the organization everything is presented almost perfectly, but the real state of affairs may be completely different. Employees may use their position for personal gain and at some points violate all norms, standards and instructions.

The core of the value system becomes the manager’s career, with which he connects all his life expectations, and service to the organization itself becomes a means of achieving personal gain. Due to some peculiarities of the territory and mentality, at the moment the use of rational (correct) bureaucracy on the territory of the Russian Federation is not possible.

Conclusion

Bureaucracy is not only the basis of the activities of organizations. It is the basis for building a system of control over the execution of tasks and acceptance management decisions. Depending on the conditions, goals and capabilities, it is determined which type of bureaucracy will prevail.

The content of the article

BUREAUCRACY(bureaucracy) (from French. bureau- office and Greek. Kratos- power) - a management system based on a vertical hierarchy and designed to carry out the tasks assigned to it in the most effective way. “Bureaucracy” is often called not only the management system carried out by special government apparatuses, but also this apparatus itself. The terms "bureaucracy" and "bureaucracy" can also be used in a negative sense to refer to an ineffective, overly formalized system of government.

The concept of “bureaucracy” first appeared in 1745. The term was coined by the French economist Vincent de Gournay; at the time of its formation, the word had a pejorative meaning - it meant that bureaucratic officials take away real power from the monarch (in a monarchy) or from the people (in a democracy) .

The first to demonstrate the virtues of bureaucracy as a system of government was the German sociologist Max Weber. He proposed to understand it as the rational work of institutions, in which each element works as efficiently as possible. After this, in situations of poor performance by officials (red tape, requiring the preparation of many unnecessary documents and a long wait for a decision), they began to talk not about bureaucracy, but about bureaucracy, separating these two concepts. If initially the concept of “bureaucracy” was used only in connection with government agencies, now it is used to define any large organization that has a large and extensive staff of managers (“corporate bureaucracy”, “trade union bureaucracy”, etc.).

Signs of bureaucracy.

Describing an ideal bureaucratic organization, Weber identified several of its typical features. The most important of them are:

1. Specialization and division of labor. Each employee has certain responsibilities and areas of activity that cannot duplicate the areas of authority of other members of the organization.

2. Vertical hierarchy. The structure of a bureaucratic organization can be compared to a pyramid: the majority is at the base and the minority is at the top. Each person included in this vertical hierarchy manages the people below him and, in turn, reports to those above him, thereby monitoring the activities of each element of the organization.

3. Clear rules. The activities of each member of the organization are regulated by rules, the purpose of which is to rationalize the entire management process. Ideally, these rules should make the activities of each employee and the entire organization predictable. Although the rules may change, in general they should be stable over time.

4. Impersonality of relationships. In an ideal bureaucracy, personal sympathies, feelings and preferences do not play a role. This principle is the same for relationships within the organization, and in its relations with partners external to the organization. A condition of an ideal bureaucracy is also that the recruitment of new employees is carried out on the basis of compliance with certain objective criteria, regardless of personal acquaintances and attachments.

The many rules that cover all the activities of officials, on the one hand, significantly limit their initiative and creativity, but, on the other hand, protect the clientele from the personal arbitrariness of employees. An impersonal approach to personnel selection allows you to select people with standard training and competence, although there is a high risk of rejecting unconventionally thinking and talented candidates for the position.

Bureaucracy as a social threat.

There is a danger of degeneration of bureaucratic management systems when they do not increase, but hinder the efficiency of their activities.

Scientists identify three main problems generated by the bureaucratic organization of management.

1. Alienation from a person. Bureaucracy is designed to solve people's problems. An impersonal approach to clients helps to respect their equality, but at the same time deprives people of their uniqueness. Any problem is adjusted to a template that is common to everyone and is solved in a previously accepted manner. The result is dehumanization and the transformation of a person into a standard “case” on the official’s desk.

2. Ritualism. The standard decision-making procedure often takes so much time, going through all the necessary authorities and approvals, that the decision itself becomes outdated and unnecessary. To describe this situation, R. Merton introduced a special term - “bureaucratic ritualism”, which denotes such preoccupation with rules and regulations that jeopardizes the achievement of the organization’s goals.

3. Inertia. Although bureaucracy is created to solve certain problems, this does not mean that when these problems are solved, the organization will cease to exist. Like any other organization, the bureaucracy strives for self-preservation, but unlike other structures, the bureaucratic one has more experience and greater opportunities to prevent its dissolution. As a result, a bureaucratic organization can function regardless of the goals previously set for it.

The widespread development of bureaucratic power leads to the fact that the bureaucrat becomes the “master” over those people whom he must lead. In these conditions, corruption flourishes.

To reduce the negative consequences of the bureaucratization of management, a system of external control over the activities of officials is necessary - on the part of citizens (clients of the bureaucracy) and/or managers. As a rule, both of these methods are combined: citizens are given the right to complain about bureaucrats to law enforcement agencies, although these bodies themselves may undergo bureaucratic degeneration. The difficulty of organizing control over the bureaucracy is a weighty argument for supporters of anarchy, who seek to abandon the division of society into managed and professional managers. However, at the present stage of development of society, it is not possible to abandon the professionalization of management. Therefore, some bureaucratization of management is perceived as a necessary evil.

Formation of bureaucracy.

Bureaucracy can be formed in several ways:

1. The bureaucratic structure grows around a prominent leader. Weber defined this method as the “routinization of charisma.” Its meaning was that a group of people, united around a bright personality, gradually turns into a bureaucratic structure, which aims to introduce the ideas and views of its leader into society. An example would be the bureaucratization of the Bolshevik Party created by V.I. Lenin.

2. Bureaucratic structure arises around a group of people. In this case, it is consciously created from the very beginning to fulfill certain goals and objectives. For example, when forming a corporation ( joint stock company) capital owners hire professional managers to run the company. This is how state and corporate bureaucratic systems are formed.

3. The source of bureaucratic structure is an already existing bureaucratic organization, while a new structure is usually allocated from existing ones. This happens when a new field of activity arises and a new department or department is gradually formed that deals with it.

4. The source of the creation of bureaucracy is a kind of “political entrepreneurship”. This occurs when a group of people who hold certain views and work together to defend them create a bureaucratic system whose members practice politics as a profession. This is how most political parties were formed.

Development of bureaucracy during the evolution of society.

Although the term "bureaucracy" did not originate until the 18th century, bureaucratic structures themselves existed long before that.

Bureaucracy began to develop already in the most ancient states, where management was professionalized. Bureaucratization of management was one of the hallmarks of Ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire. A striking example of bureaucratic power in pre-bourgeois societies is considered to be imperial China, where there was an examination system for selecting candidates for the post of officials, a multi-tier hierarchy of officials of different ranks and the enormous power of bureaucratic officials over their subjects.

Although in the era bourgeois revolutions bureaucracy and attempts were made repeatedly to destroy it, it usually turned out to be impossible to build a management system without professionalizing it. Therefore, to this day, bureaucratic structures are not only preserved, but even strengthened due to the increasing complexity of management processes. Examples of bureaucracy are the management organization in government, military, corporations, hospitals, courts, schools, etc.

In the modern era, it is customary to talk about bureaucracy of the “Eastern” and “European” variety.

Eastern type bureaucracy is built into the system government controlled and is an inseparable part of it. With the help of bureaucracy, the government acquires the ability to control all aspects of society and gradually positions itself outside of society and above it. The state becomes much stronger than society, bureaucratic domination (power-property) is formed. Weber called this type of bureaucracy patrimonial.

Unlike its eastern counterpart, the European bureaucracy, although associated with government, is not its essence. From the very beginning of their development in the capitalist era, governments in the countries of Western European civilization were under the control of society, and this control restrained the formation of strong bureaucratic systems.

Although the European bureaucracy does not pretend to seize political power, it has many opponents.

The most famous opponents of bureaucracy among modern scientists are considered to be English writer and historian Cyril Parkinson and American social psychologist Warren Bennis. Parkinson is known for his journalistic works in which he ridiculed the shortcomings of bureaucratic organization. One of his most famous statements: “the staff of bureaucratic organizations increases in inverse proportion to the amount of work done.” Bennis approaches the study of bureaucracy from a strictly scientific perspective, predicting the failure of bureaucracy due to its inability to cope with unexpected situations and bring together organizational and individual goals. No matter how stable bureaucratic systems are, they are constantly developing and changing. Weber, defining the ideal type of bureaucracy, spoke only about the formal side of this system, while it also has an informal component. Even in those organizations where it is prescribed to consult only with colleagues who are more senior high level service hierarchy, informal relationships are often stronger than accepted rules and regulations. This informal aspect gives the bureaucracy the opportunity to increase the flexibility of the system as a whole and reduce the impersonality of the interaction process. With the development of new means of communication, the attitude towards strict hierarchy also changes. In particular, electronic correspondence over the Internet violates the rule of subordination, providing the opportunity to contact any member of the organization, bypassing the accepted hierarchy.

Requirements modern world lead to the emergence of new forms of management, which, while bureaucratic in the Weberian sense from the point of view of their rationality and efficiency, have, however, characteristics that differ from traditional bureaucratic structures. Thus, Bennis introduced the concept of “adhocracy,” denoting a rapidly changing adaptive structure, a group of specialists with different professional knowledge, selected in accordance with a specific situation. An example of such a structure is the Japanese “quality circles”. Unlike traditional bureaucracy, there is no clear vertical hierarchy and division of labor, formal relations are kept to a minimum, and specialization is not functional, but substantive. Flexible organizational structures of this kind, almost eliminating bureaucracy, are becoming increasingly popular in modern business. However, government administration remains a breeding ground for bureaucracy.

Development of bureaucracy in Russia.

A management system in which a career depends on personal professional qualities arose in pre-Petrine Russia. When in the 16th century. In the Moscow state, functionally specialized government bodies, “prikazy”, began to emerge, then the non-noble clerks working in them gradually began to play no less important role than the noble boyars. “Ordered” officials were very different from the ideal Western official outlined by Weber (Table 1). Many of these features were steadily preserved in subsequent centuries.

Table 1. FEATURES OF THE BUREAUCRACY IN RUSSIA
Characteristics of the Ideal Western Official	Characteristics of the Russian “prikazny” of the 17th century.	Changing characteristics of Russian officials
An official is considered a servant of the public	The official stands above society and imposes the will of the ruling elite on his subjects	Officials are constantly viewed as above society
Freedom to choose your service	Mandatory service	Since 1762, service has become a personal choice
Service hierarchy	Lack of a unified hierarchy of civil servants	In 1722 a unified service hierarchy was created
Service specialization and professional competence	An official can perform duties in different professional fields	The professional specialization of officials was consolidated in the 19th century.
Rewarded with a stable salary	The main income is levies from applicants, the salary is not fixed and is not issued regularly	By 1763, the transfer of officials to permanent salaries was completed
Career promotion according to fixed criteria (primarily depending on qualifications)	Promotes according to length of service, origin and discretion of superiors.	The dependence of careers on qualities not related to professional competence remains constant.
Subject to uniform service discipline	Lack of uniform disciplinary requirements	Disciplinary requirements are different for officials of different ranks
Maintains impersonal, formal-rational relationships with colleagues and with managed	Maintains deeply personal work relationships	The personal nature of work relationships is constantly reproduced
Compiled from: Mironov B.N. Social history of Russia. St. Petersburg, “Dmitry Bulanin”, 2003, vol. 2

A new impetus for the development of bureaucracy in Russia was given by the reforms of Peter I, who, based on the experience of Western European countries, sought to replace hereditary boyars with professional officials. The highest bureaucratic bodies were the Senate, which replaced the boyar Duma, and the collegiums, which replaced the previous orders. In an effort to legislatively fix the changes taking place in the administrative apparatus, Peter I signed the General Regulations of Collegiums (1720). This document contained the rules for the functioning of the state apparatus as a bureaucratic organization: it built a hierarchy, establishing the subordination of lower institutions to higher ones, secured the impersonality of relationships through connections between authorities only in writing, established the specialization and responsibilities of all employees. Additional elaboration of the hierarchy principle was carried out through Table of ranks(1722), which established the hierarchy of employees and rules for promotion through the ranks. Finally, in 1763 regular salaries for officials were introduced everywhere.

Although Russia has always been considered a country of bureaucrats, their share in the total population was small (Table 2) - lower than in the developed countries of Western Europe. According to its characteristics, the bureaucracy of Imperial Russia gravitated toward the eastern version: it was controlled by higher officials, but not by society, and was characterized by corruption and low efficiency. In addition, in the Russian bureaucracy, informal relationships often came to the fore, which is why there was a lack of both clear professional specialization and the dependence of an official’s promotion on official competence.

Table 2. RELATIVE NUMBER OF OFFICIALS IN RUSSIA/USSR
Period	Number of officials per 1 thousand population
Late 17th century	0,4
Late 18th century	0,6
1857	2,0
1897	1,2
1913	1,6
1922	5,2
1928	6,9
1940	9,5
1950	10,2
1985	8,7

When in everyday life we hear the word bureaucracy, we imagine endless sitting in queues for the sake of obtaining a trifling certificate, red tape and poor unproductive work of authorities that act on orders and orders from above.

We also mean by this concept a group of people in power, designed to complicate our lives in every possible way by nagging, digging through unnecessary papers and circulars. However, it is not bureaucracy as such that is the cause of such troubles, but shortcomings in the implementation of the rules of work of many organizations, a simple human factor, the size of the structure itself, and illiteracy.

Let's take it literally: bureau - desk plus - power. It turns out: the power of the table or position. This type of management, which is based on the selection of officials, is bureaucracy. This is a hierarchy and the subordination of all elements to the central one. With the advent of the state, bureaucracy also appears (ancient eastern despotism).

But back in 1990, Max Weber formulated a definition of bureaucracy, which can be considered as the most useful thing for humanity. The author viewed it as an ideal, as a model with certain standards that must be adhered to:

clear division of responsibilities of officials;
hierarchy of power relations;
systematization of instructions and rules;
strict control of lower levels by those above;
the impersonal nature of relationships in bureaucratic education.

However, even Marx in his works noted the formation of a hierarchical bureaucracy (1843).

Time and harsh reality have led to a change in the simple original meaning of this concept. Conflicts between ruling politicians, executives and the lower strata, an increase in the distance between managers and functionaries, centralization, security for the upper echelons - these are the striking features of the bureaucracy.

He is characterized by routine, indifference, and slowness. Separation from the masses leads to a feeling of permissiveness and irresponsibility. It is often used as a lever of terror.

A short historical excursion

The Marxist-Leninists wanted to destroy the bureaucracy. The widespread involvement of the people in governance, the awakening of the activity of the masses - these are the factors that should have contributed to this, and the revolution should have broken the old power machine. But the distortion of ideals and goals led to the creation of an administrative-command system in the USSR.

The people were practically removed from participation by the emerging bureaucracy. Signs of oppression and terror indicate a bureaucratic regime. The totalitarian system that developed in the union did not imply the protection of human rights, like any bureaucracy. There is an alienation of power.

In Western Europe, management practices show the features of Weber's bureaucracy. This is classic bureaucracy. Not a single state-organized society can exist without bureaucrats. These are professional managers who do not create any value themselves. Their purpose is to manage government affairs and perform socially useful functions. Such workers rarely use their professional knowledge. Their goal is management competence.

The advantages of such a hardware bureaucracy:

stability in management - distribution of types of work;
standardization (reduces the possibility of errors);
timely training of employees;
formalization, centralization.

Flaws:

bureaucracy as such;
weak motivation;
poor use of human resources;
inflexibility in critical situations, the possibility of inadequate decisions.

This type of bureaucracy can be applied in organizations with a stable structure and external environment.

Bureaucracy develops and changes. Using new approaches to achieve goals, modern systems management, focusing on human and ethical principles, developed democratic states have an acceptable system of bureaucracy. Finding a balance in the administration between the professional and political sides produces optimal results.

When faced with the manifestation of bureaucracy in everyday life, we observe its “everyday” reflection. We blame the state and officials for this. Whereas the concept of “bureaucracy” is much broader and deeper. It includes not only negative aspects. Without bureaucrats (in in a good way this word) turns out to be difficult to live, lead and simply move forward.

from French Вurean) - green cloth that was used to cover the tables of officials of state offices, hence the term “bureaucrat”, i.e. mid-level government employee, official.

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BUREAUCRACY

fr. - bureaucratie, lit. - the dominance of the office, from fr. bureau - bureau, office and Greek. kratos - power) - 1) the highest layer of officials in the apparatus state power having certain privileges; 2) a hierarchically organized system of public administration, carried out by a closed group of officials whose activities are based on a strict distribution of functions and powers, strict adherence to established rules and performance standards. M. Weber defined bureaucracy as the most rational and most effective form of achieving organizational goals. Weber's ideal type of bureaucracy includes the following elements: a high degree of specialization and a pronounced division of labor, a hierarchical structure, approval of a set of formal rules for managing the activities of the organization, written documentation as the basis of administration, impersonality of relations between members of the organization and between the organization and its clients, personnel selection according to abilities and knowledge, long-term employment, fixed pay, career advancement in accordance with length of service and merit. According to Weber, the main advantage of bureaucracy is its predictability. Later studies of bureaucracy (in particular, the works of R. Merton, M. Crozier, etc.) showed the ineffectiveness of many bureaucratic organizations that lose their flexibility due to various reasons determined by the very structure of the organization. Thus, members of the organization or the organization itself may adhere to certain bureaucratic rules as a ritual, which leads to a decrease in work efficiency due to their inconsistency with changing conditions, and narrow specialization often interferes with the effective solution of pressing problems - employees defend private, group interests and, striving for maximum expansion their powers, conceal and distort information about the real state of affairs, which leads to formalism, routine, the transformation of administrative activity into an end in itself and, ultimately, the alienation of the state apparatus from society.

But the nature of bureaucracy is dual. In addition to the noted side, it also has a negative side, which manifests itself in a unique way depending on the method of power, that is, the political regime. Thus, the development of bureaucracy under a totalitarian regime leads to the emergence of an alienated management system, divorced from the interests of the people. In such conditions, bureaucracy is characterized by the following main features: 1) it presents its own, professional interests as universal, expressing, in its opinion, the needs and interests of all members of society; 2) by absolutizing her own narrow professional interests, she creates the illusion (objective delusion) of her independence both from society as a whole and from the politically dominant force ruling in society and the state; 3) due to the fact that the activities of the bureaucracy are connected with the mechanism for the implementation of executive power in society and the state, it can practically have a significant influence on the development of the political process in the country, which is noted in Russia.

BUREAUCRACY

The bureaucracy is represented by salaried officials working for the executive branch of government, whose role is to implement the government's policies. Many of those who perform this work are classified as government employees, which means that key aspects of their employment, such as hiring, compensation, promotion, performance appraisal, termination and working conditions, are regulated by general laws applicable to government employees. Legislation of this kind is developed by centralized bodies, such as, in particular, the American Department of Personnel Management and the British Civil Service Commission.

Bureaucracies employ large numbers of people who are employed by government agencies and departments. Effective administration presupposes the presence of a rationally structured organization. Max Weber (1864–1920) believed that an ideal bureaucracy should be built in accordance with a number of principles. He believed that appointments should be made based on the results of testing, and not on patronage, that the decision-making process should consist of following established rules and procedures without being subject to individual value judgments (the term “bureaucracy” is widely used to describe precisely this procedure), that the organization must have a hierarchical structure in which each bureaucrat occupies a strictly defined place in the chain of command, and that bureaucracies must have the necessary level of competence.

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History of the development of bureaucracy, basic theories of power

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Bureaucracy is the definition

Bureaucracy is(from the French bureau - bureau, office and Greek κράτος -, power) this word means the direction that the state takes in, where all affairs are concentrated in the hands of central government authorities, acting according to orders (superiors) and through orders ( subordinates); also, bureaucracy refers to a class of persons sharply separated from the rest of society and consisting of these representatives of the central government authority.

Bureaucracy is organization of professional civil servants for the qualified, effective performance of public affairs. Starting with M. Weber, the majority of bureaucratic researchers (M. Crozier, F. Selznick, A. Gouldner, S. Lipset, etc.) focused on studying its structure and functions as a rational system of managing society. The basic principles of a rational bureaucratic organization are most fully presented in the works of Weber.

Bureaucracy is a social layer of professional managers included in an organizational structure characterized by a clear hierarchy, “vertical”, formalized methods of decision-making, and a claim to a special status in society.

Bureaucracy is(bureaucracy) (from the French bureau - office and the Greek kratos - power) a management system based on a vertical hierarchy and designed to carry out the tasks assigned to it in the most effective way. “Bureaucracy” is often called not only the management system carried out by special government apparatuses, but also this apparatus itself. The terms "bureaucracy" and "bureaucracy" can also be used in a negative sense to refer to an ineffective, overly formalized system of government.

Bureaucracy is a set of persons professionally engaged in management (bureaucracy), responsible to government leadership and living off the wages received (salary); system of government administration through the apparatus of officials.

Bureaucracy is an organization of professional public servants dedicated to the skilled, effective execution of public policy. One of the first critics of bureaucracy was K. Marx, who drew attention to the fact that it is associated with the loss by an organization of the meaningful purpose of its activities, with its subordination to the task of self-preservation and strengthening, with the transformation of state goals into clerical ones, and clerical ones into state ones.

Bureaucracy is a system of public administration, when, due to the underdevelopment of civil society, actual power in the state belongs to the highest bureaucrats and the nomenklatura serving them, a layer of people (officials) serving in various levels of the state apparatus and inextricably linked with the public administration system.

Bureaucracy is the power of clerks (from the French bureau - table; hence the Russian word "bureau", i.e. office), therefore, the power of bureau employees. It resists (office employees are not yet the people), and in a broader sense, against political power. This is how bureaucracy differs from administration. The administration is at the service of the sovereign; The bureaucracy serves him, but also uses him, and often strives to take his place.

He proposed to understand it as the rational work of institutions, in which each element works as efficiently as possible. After this, in situations of poor performance by officials (red tape, requiring the preparation of many unnecessary documents and a long wait for a decision), talk not about bureaucracy, but about bureaucracy, separating these two concepts. If initially the concept of “bureaucracy” was used only in connection with government agencies, now it is used to define any large organization that has a large and extensive management team (“corporate bureaucracy”, “trade union bureaucracy”, etc.).

Bureaucracy is also understood as a closed layer of senior officials, opposing themselves to society, occupying a privileged position in it, specializing in management, monopolizing power functions in society in order to realize their corporate interests. The term “bureaucracy” is used not only to designate a specific social group, but also a system of organizations created by public authorities in order to maximize their functions, as well as institutions and departments included in the ramified structure of the executive branch. The object of analysis when studying bureaucracy is: contradictions that arise during the implementation of management functions; management as labor; interests of social groups participating in bureaucratic relations.

There is a confusion of concepts, which is often a source of confusion and mutual misunderstanding among people. In contrast to the bureaucratic method of organizing management, bureaucracy is a global disease, widespread to one degree or another in almost all countries. In terms of the scale and quantity of evil brought to humanity, it is perhaps comparable to environmental pollution. In the precise sense of the word, bureaucracy means the power of the “bureau,” i.e. desk - not a people, not even a specific person, but an official position. In other words, the auxiliary function, designed to serve people, to be an instrument in their hands, acquires power over them. The system of rational administration of affairs turns from a tool into a self-sufficient machine.

An official, in principle, cannot be an absolutely dispassionate performer, as Weber believed. He tends to use his position for his own benefit. At the level of social-group interactions, it looks like this: the apparatus sometimes seeks to impose its own interests on society as supposedly universal. Another objective basis for the degeneration of rational bureaucracy is its organic antidemocratism. It arises from the imaginary official's competence, which leaves ordinary people only the role of supplicants, intercessors.

Since the first task of an official is to ensure compliance with uniform formal rules common to all, it gradually turns into an end in itself. The form, which is rational at its core, acquires the features of a meaningless ritual, and the content is replaced by form. The level of understanding of the problems facing the apparatus, its individual units and employees is decreasing. To understand the logic of the bureaucratic machine, Parkinson’s famous one is important: a bureaucratic organization strives for an unlimited expansion of its influence. At the same time, there is no desire to increase one’s own responsibility for the state of affairs - rather the opposite. Maximizing the scale and scope of one's work while minimizing responsibility is the bureaucratic ideal.

Bureaucracy is often identified with red tape, unsubscribes, paperwork, etc. However, these external symptoms of the disease are wrongfully confused with its internal content, which V.I. Lenin successfully defined it as the subordination of business interests to career interests. Bureaucracy includes the following components: in the political aspect - excessive expansion and irresponsibility of the executive branch; social - the alienation of this power from the people; organizational - clerical substitution of form for content; moral and psychological - bureaucratic deformation of consciousness.

History of bureaucracy

Despite the fact that the term “bureaucracy” itself appeared only at the beginning of the 18th century, the concept of such an administrative system has existed since ancient times. The key point for its emergence is writing, thus, the first “bureaucracies” arose already in Ancient Sumer and Ancient Egypt. In ancient times, Confucius created a complex bureaucratic system. The Roman Empire also had a bureaucracy that became particularly large and began to have a negative impact on the economy during the time of Diocletian. After the collapse of the empire, the Byzantine Empire built a particularly complex bureaucratic system.

Theories of bureaucracy

Theories of bureaucracy - English. theories of bureaucracy; German Burokratietheorien. A set of concepts (C. A. Saint-Simon, M. Weber, R. Merton, R. Bendix, F. Selznick, A. Gouldner, M. Crozier, S. Lipset), analyzing the functions and internal structures of a bureaucratic organization and considering processes bureaucratization as a phenomenon characterized by “rationality”, inherent in society and corresponding to its modern scientific and technical level.

Every modern society comes into contact with the power of bureaucracy. And especially a transitional society, as is happening in our country today. Today it is difficult to find a state in which officials are not viewed negatively (this has already been clearly noted). At the same time, the term "bureaucracy" is used to designate the form of organization of the institutions of society, the characteristics of the work of government bodies, groups of people who master the techniques of administrative work, have and are capable of preparing, drawing up and interpreting political decisions, etc.

If we ignore the many shades when analyzing the problems of bureaucracy, we can highlight general view two directions of its study: within the framework of the sociology of politics; within the sociology of organizations. Such a distinction between the main directions in the study of bureaucratic structures is, of course, quite arbitrary. As is known, in the sociology of organizations importance is attached, first of all, to the issue of efficiency organizational activities, and the problem of bureaucratic power is secondary.

According to a number of scientists, the sociology of organizations does not have the appropriate means of studying the power of bureaucracy, because formal organizations are considered as a self-sufficient object of study, often in isolation from the processes taking place in society. To understand the essence of this power, it is necessary to consider bureaucracy in a broader socio-historical context.

It is this approach to the administrative apparatus that is most clearly manifested in the works of the classics of political sociology. Vincent de Gournay viewed bureaucracy as new uniform state government. He believed that its essence and significance lies precisely in the fact that the work of government was in the hands of rulers by profession. G. Hegel, D.S. Mill, A. de Tocqueville, G. Mosca, M. Weber also considered bureaucracy as a new type of system where management activities are carried out by appointed professional officials.

The first direction is class theories

The concepts of the first direction, which consider bureaucracy as the rule of “professional officials,” should include class theories (K. Marx, V.I. Lenin). And also theories that define bureaucracy as a new class - M. Bakunin, J. Burnham, M. Djilas, M. Voslensky, D. Ledonne, etc. These theories are based on the same idea of the dominance of professional officials, but presented it is combined with the theory of ownership of the means of production.

This allows us to develop provisions about the bureaucracy as a special class and about the bureaucrat turning his place in the official hierarchy into private property. The bureaucracy, being part of the ruling class, undividedly owns the two main factors that ensure the functioning of society - management and property, which are present in an undivided form at every level of the bureaucratic hierarchy. We can identify a range of basic questions that are posed and resolved by representatives of this direction in the study of bureaucracy: who rules? in whose interests? what are the social foundations of the power of bureaucracy? who implements the functions of control over the bureaucracy?

Karl Marx's theory of bureaucracy

An interpretation of the relationship between the bureaucratic state and civil society, opposite to Hegel, was proposed by K. Marx. According to Marx, the state does not express the interests of citizens, but sets them itself. The task of officials in society is to maintain general interest only in form. Therefore, the task of the institution of bureaucracy in bourgeois society becomes a form of production aimed at creating the illusion that the state protects the general interest. For Marx, bureaucracy represents the “will of the state,” “the consciousness of the state,” and the “power of the state.” The content of the activities of the bureaucracy is the formal spirit of the state.

It should be noted that in the concept of “bureaucracy” Marx combined several meanings. This term included both the entire system of power and control and the people who were part of this system. He included all elements of executive power, including collegial advisory government formations, as this institution. Marx often used the word “bureaucrat” in a negative sense as a carrier of any pathological characteristics associated with managerial activities. This interpretation of bureaucratic activity, inherent more in journalism than in scientific discourse, complicates the problem of the administrative sector as an “executive” institution in the system of authorities.

The Hegelian dialectic of general and private interests seemed illusory to Marx, since it was used by officials to justify their own interests. Considering the role of the bureaucracy from the point of view of the functioning of the state mechanism, Marx discovers a paradox: the bureaucracy, as a state institution, essentially owns the state; it is its private property.

Due to the fact that the purpose of the bureaucracy is to be a reconciling force between civil society, it gets the opportunity to pass off its private interest as a general interest. Bureaucracy is characterized by a hierarchical vertical, because the bureaucracy needs to create the impression of its importance, the necessity of its institution in society, and to disguise the nature of its activities, directed by narrow group interests. Bureaucrats seek to surround their activities with secrecy, creating the illusion of their competence.

Consideration of the institution of bureaucracy from the point of view of its origin, its class essence and its future leads Marx to the conclusion that bureaucracy arises as an instrument of the bourgeoisie, with the help of which the latter replaces the previous, hierarchized system of power based on feudal privileges with a new, centralized and orderly one. But with the evolution of capitalism, the bureaucracy becomes the servant of the bourgeoisie and loses its independence.

However, under the conditions of a parliamentary republic, the bureaucracy has the opportunity, while continuing to serve the interests of the ruling bourgeois class, to realize its own desire for autocracy. The conclusions made by Marx as a result of his study of state institutions under capitalism about their specificity are directly related to his fundamental concept - the theory of alienation and division of labor, which gives the problem of bureaucracy in Marx’s interpretation a certain philosophical and historical meaning. State institutions are the product of the alienation of the human social essence from man or of management from the governed subject.

This understanding of the essence of the state leads Marx to a completely logical conclusion about overcoming the state in the society of the future if the latter ends the political division of labor and private property. The ideal of the state, according to Marx, is the community (commune), which replaces the class-antagonistic capitalist society in a new classless society. It is worth paying attention to another theory of Marx, which occupied a significant place in his political philosophy and had some relation to his historical and philosophical interpretation of the institution of bureaucracy - the theory of contrasting the “West” with the “East”, the “Western” with the “Asian” society.

Considering historical development humanity, Marx noted existing in different periods and in different forms two types of state structures: - European, Western, class; - despotic, Eastern, Asian, patriarchal. Developing the theory of the “eastern” form of the state using the example of Asian societies known to him, Marx created a model of social relations very close to the realities of life, characterized by the predominant power of the state.

Under the Asian form of government, the Asian mode of production, the state, if it does not completely absorb society, then at least becomes stronger than society, because collective labor is managed by civil servants. The indivisibility of politics and management, politics and economics, the lack of property among the population, limited commodity-money relations are the essential components of the specific “Eastern”, “Asian” form of state domination, but Marx did not define this type of civil servants as the ruling class.

The second direction is organizational theories

The second direction in the study of bureaucracy is represented by theories of formal organization (R. Merton, F. Selznick, P. M. Blau, A. Etzioni, E. Mayo, etc.). The following problems are considered here: the effectiveness of administrative structures, the mechanism of functioning of power; formal and technical components of bureaucracy; internal organizational laws and interests; connection with the social environment; methods and forms of bureaucracy.

In this group of theories, a special place belongs to the theory of M. Weber. Weber proposes a bureaucratic model of organization, but unlike, for example, representatives of the “organization-machine” concept (A. Fayolle, L. Urwick), he does not deal in detail with the practical construction of bureaucratic relations in order to remove problems that arise in the process of development of these relations, his research "administrative" organization offers a primarily theoretical model.

Hegel's theory of bureaucracy

One of the first scientific analyzes of the essential characteristics of the phenomenon of bureaucracy belongs to Hegel, although the philosopher does not use the term “bureaucracy” in his works. However, the universality of bureaucracy (executive power, bureaucracy) appears in his theory of state and law in inextricably linked with a certain type of organization, management and power, that is, as the universality of the state. The state for Hegel is “the reality of the moral idea,” “in itself and -reasonable for oneself”, “the procession of God in the world”. The bureaucratic state is “the focus of state consciousness and the most outstanding education.”

It represents the basis of the middle class. This type of state, which is a form of expression of general interest, is due to the presence of civil society. Civil society was defined by Hegel as a complex of individuals, classes, groups and institutions whose existence is not directly determined by the presence of the state. This society, according to Hegel, is a rationally structured society, whose norms of life are different from the norms of state life. However, the various components of civil society are in constant conflict, and a significant strengthening of some of them can lead to the weakening of others.

Therefore, civil society is unable to maintain itself as “civil” unless it is governed by the state. The main function of the executive power in Hegel's theory was the implementation of decisions, which should be carried out by the monarch in accordance with the general interest. The implementation of this function was entrusted to collegial advisory bodies and government officials in accordance with the principle of separation of powers. Hegel does not deny the principles of the rule of law, but believes that the separation of powers does not imply their opposition, but is a manifestation of the dialectical unity of state and society.

At the same time, he is skeptical about the theory, considering the constitutional monarchy to be the true expression and concrete completion of the absolute idea of law. In conditions when civil institutions, by their nature, do not reveal general interests (they are in a state of conflict among themselves), civil servants, firstly, are obliged to receive professional training, and secondly, must be provided with state financial support in order to their own interests did not interfere with their pursuit of the general interest.

At the same time, Hegel identifies a number of conditions that guarantee that the power of officials will not go beyond the limits of general interest: the presence of supreme power, that is: “the establishment of sovereignty from above”; establishing a hierarchy within the bureaucracy that limits its arbitrariness; constant conflict between the bureaucracy and private corporations; the immediate moral and mental culture of an official. Hegel attached special importance to the formation of a managerial culture, because, in his opinion, it should be an intellectual counterbalance to the mechanistic orientation of the state apparatus.

The Hegelian model of bureaucratic management proceeds from the interdependence and identity of the state and civil society, firstly, and secondly, from the need for the formation of this interdependence of the middle class. At the same time, the bureaucracy, together with the monarchy, is declared by Hegel to be a neutral force that stands above the conflicting groups of people with their special interests that make up civil society. Officials embody the universal interests of the entire society, since they are endowed with specific knowledge necessary for a modern state.

Theories of bureaucracy according to Weber and Wilson

The appearance of the term “bureaucracy” is associated with the name of the French economist Vincent de Gournay, who introduced it in 1745 to designate the executive branch. This term came into scientific circulation thanks to the German sociologist, economist, and historian Max Weber (1864-1920), the author of the most complete and comprehensive sociological study of the phenomenon of bureaucracy.

Weber proposed the following principles of the bureaucratic concept of organizational structure: hierarchical structure of the organization; hierarchy of orders, built on legal authority; subordination of a subordinate employee to a superior one and responsibility not only for one’s own actions, but also for the actions of subordinates; specialization and division of labor by function; a clear system of procedures and rules that ensures the uniformity of production processes; a system of promotion and tenure based on skills and experience and measured by standards; orientation of the communication system both within the organization and outside it based on written rules.

Weber used the term “bureaucracy” to designate a rational organization, the regulations and rules of which create the foundation for effective work and make it possible to combat favoritism. He considered bureaucracy as a kind of ideal image, the most effective tool for managing social structures and individual structural units.

According to Weber, the strictly formalized nature of bureaucratic relations, the clarity of the distribution of role functions, and the personal interest of bureaucrats in achieving the goals of the organization lead to the adoption of timely and qualified decisions based on carefully selected and verified information. Bureaucracy as a rational management machine is characterized by: strict responsibility for each area of work: coordination in order to achieve organizational goals; optimal operation of impersonal rules; clear hierarchical dependence.

However, later Weber began to distinguish between bureaucracy in a positive sense (Western rational management system) and in a negative sense (Eastern irrational management system), understanding the Eastern irrational management system as one in which instructions, orders, tasks and other formal attributes of power become an end in themselves.

At the beginning of the 20th century. German sociologist Max Weber developed the concept of rational bureaucracy (Weber M. Theory of social and economic organization. New York, 1964). The bureaucratic organization replaced the system of patriarchal, medieval administration, under which it was impossible for an ordinary, ordinary person without connections to achieve justice: there were no deadlines for the consideration of cases, the procedure for their proceedings and jurisdiction were uncertain, and most importantly, arbitrariness and personal discretion reigned in everything. The outcome of the case was decided not by the rightness of the person, not by objective circumstances, but by his status, wealth, connections, dexterity, and ability to appease the desired person.

However, the patriarchal system also had its own conveniences. Having found personal contact with the “right person,” the applicant could decide without formal delays (and often contrary to the law). Not a formal business relationship, but a warm, sometimes friendly relationship arose between them. However, the disadvantages of such a system clearly outweighed it. Therefore, as an alternative to it, a different, modern form of solving current affairs began to take shape, which (ideally) is characterized by their management by competent and dispassionate performers, in full accordance with the procedure, orderliness of office work, and freedom from subjective influences.

In short, organization modern type presupposes the dominance of generally binding regulated procedures, the implementation of which does not depend on who exactly and in relation to whom they are performed. Everyone is equal before a single order. Unification becomes a guarantee against the shortcomings of specific people and possible abuses. This is the concept of rational bureaucracy, as formulated by M. Weber. He pointed out that this type of government, although it arose in such bureaucratic states as Prussia, became predominant in all political systems and, moreover, in all organizations in which management was carried out on a large scale.

In his definition of bureaucracy, Weber sought to highlight common features for all modern administrative systems. He indicated ten such features, but for convenience they can be reduced to four main features: the competence of each bureaucratic level is clearly regulated, i.e. fixed normatively; the hierarchical organization of the bureaucratic structure is based on firmly established principles of official subordination; all formal intra-organizational activities (dissemination of information, decision-making, preparation of orders and directives, etc.) are carried out in the form of written documents that are subject to subsequent storage; all officials must be good in administration i.e. be competent not only in the field of their professional job responsibilities(for example, as a lawyer, economist, engineer, military man, etc.), but also in the field of norms, rules and procedures of the bureaucratic organization as a whole.

From his model of bureaucracy it follows that efficiency can be achieved through a rational division of labor and clear areas of competence. If we consider the elements of Weber's model of bureaucracy, then each of them meets this criterion of effectiveness. The main feature of bureaucracy is the systematic division of labor by which administrative problems are broken down into manageable tasks.

Other features of bureaucracy serve the same purpose. Its impersonal nature ensures that there is no favoritism in the selection of personnel, who are appointed according to individual achievements, in the management activity itself, free from the unpredictability of personal connections. Subjection to rules allows the bureaucracy to conduct a large number of affairs in a uniform manner, while the presence of procedures for changing those rules frees them from the constraints of tradition.

In American administrative science, the same idea was developed at the end of the 19th century. future Woodrow Wilson. His main work on this issue, considered a classic and a source of inspiration for many generations of American administrators, Wilson Woodrow The Study of Administration, was published in 1887.

Wilson's main ideas are as follows: in any management system there is a single control center as a necessary prerequisite for its effectiveness and responsibility; the structural similarity of all modern governments; separation of management from politics; professionalism of employees; organizational hierarchy as a condition for financial and administrative efficiency; having good administration necessary condition human and the achievement of well-being.

As can be seen, Weber and Wilson formulated essentially similar concepts from different angles. After all, according to Weber, a bureaucratic organization is technically the most perfect of all conceivable organizational forms. Its superiority, manifested in clarity, speed, competence, continuity, unity, subordination, stability, relative cheapness and, finally, in the impersonal nature of the activity, places it above all other types.

In other words, bureaucracy is the dominance of professionalism over incompetence, norms over arbitrariness, objectivity over subjectivity. We can distinguish three of its main “ideological” postulates: bureaucracy equally effectively serves any political “master” without interfering in the political process; this is the best of all possible forms of organization; its most important advantage is its independence from the influence of subjective (human) influences on decision making.

However, research into the actual work of organizations suggests that adherence to bureaucratic norms can not only promote but also hinder efficiency. This is because the principles of bureaucratic organization are accompanied by significant dysfunctional effects, which are more pronounced the more consistently these principles are applied. Following rules can lead to a lack of flexibility. The impersonal nature of relationships gives rise to bureaucratic indifference and insensitivity. Hierarchy often prevents individual responsibility and initiative.

The most accurate approach, as it seems to us, was outlined by K. Marx in his work “On the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Law.” Here are some of his expressions: bureaucracy is the “state formalism” of civil society; the bureaucracy constitutes a special closed society in the state; bureaucracy is an imaginary state along with the real state; it is the spiritualism of the state.

Theories of bureaucracy according to Merton and Gouldner

According to American sociologists R. Merton and A. Gouldner, the most common dysfunction generated by bureaucracy is a shift in emphasis from the goals of activity to its means, resulting in a rigid hierarchy, strict execution of instructions, strict discipline, etc. turn into a brake on the path of rationality. In other words, a rational device reproduces within itself elements of the irrational.

Robert Merton (1910-2003) assessed bureaucracy as follows: as a result of strict adherence to formal rules and conformity, management employees ultimately lose the ability to make independent decisions; constant focus on rules, relationships and formally developed guidelines for action leads to the fact that these standards become universal and final, and their observance is the main task and result of organizational activity; all this causes representatives of the bureaucracy to refuse creative, independent thinking and even competence; the consequence is the birth of a stereotypical bureaucrat, lacking imagination and creativity, inflexible in the application of official norms and rules; the result of the activity of such a bureaucrat is the isolation of the bureaucratic caste, its elevation above the workers.

Difficulties in bureaucratic structures are associated with the exaggeration of the importance of standardized rules, procedures and norms that precisely determine how employees should solve the tasks assigned to them, implement the requests of other departments of the organization, and interact with clients and the public.

As a result, the organization loses flexibility in its relations with the external environment: clients and the public feel that the response to their requests and demands is inadequate, since their problems are solved strictly in accordance with established norms without taking into account the current situation; if clients or members of the public indicate to the bureaucrat that they are overly adherent to norms, he refers to the corresponding rule or instruction; however, the bureaucrat cannot be punished, since formally he acts absolutely correctly.

The bureaucratic form of management is characterized by the following negative socio-psychological features: ignoring human nature; the dominance of the spirit of alienation; limited opportunities expressing views, especially those that contradict generally accepted ways of thinking; subordination of personal goals of employees to the goals of the organization; incompatibility with a developed active personality; opportunism; ignoring informal organization and interpersonal relationships.

The American sociologist A. Gouldner, developing Weber's ideas, identified two types of bureaucracy in modern society: representative, where power is based on knowledge and skill; authoritarian, where power is based on negative sanctions, obedience turns into an end in itself, and power is legitimized by the very fact of being in office .

In sociology, the theory of bureaucracy is one of the most developed. Nevertheless, this topic is addressed again and again. Why? According to A. Toffler, bureaucracy has three main features - stability, hierarchy, division of labor.

Sociologists believe that without bureaucracy, society has no prospects for development, since this form of management is the only workable and acceptable one. In this regard, one of the main tasks of modern management is to change the role of bureaucracy in the activities of the organization in accordance with the principles developed by Weber. Achieving this goal is possible by changing the attitudes of representatives of the bureaucracy and declaring their well-being and career with the final result of the organization's activities.

Types of bureaucracy

Since Weber's study of bureaucracy, it has undergone significant changes, evolving along with the structures of organizations. Currently, there are three types of bureaucracy.

The apparatus (classical) bureaucracy fully corresponds to Weber's model. In this type of bureaucracy, management employees make very little use of professional knowledge, since their main responsibility is to perform general management functions and they are limited by the scope of their role in the organization.

The main advantages of apparatus bureaucracy are: the stability of the functioning of the organization and its management bodies; clear division of labor; standardization and unification of all activities, which reduces errors; reduction of time for role-based training of management employees; formalization, ensuring stability and coherence of work; centralization guaranteeing reliability of management.

Apparatus bureaucracy has the following disadvantages: the danger of bureaucracy; lack of sufficient motivation; incomplete use of mental abilities and psychological characteristics of workers; inefficiency in changing conditions and in non-standard situations, since inadequate and untimely management decisions are often made. The apparatus bureaucracy forms the basis of management in ministries and departments, in most state or public institutions municipal government, can be the basis of management in organizations with a stable structure and little changing relations with the external environment.

Professional bureaucracy

Professional bureaucracy requires managers to have deep theoretical and practical knowledge in narrow areas of activity limited by role requirements. Let us list the main characteristics of the activities of professional bureaucrats: high degree specializations and competence; taking into account not only the management process, but also the conditions for its occurrence; less formalization (compared to hardware bureaucracy); greater freedom in making management decisions within the framework of one’s role, where, as a senior manager, one is not so knowledgeable in solving narrow, specific issues of activity; grouping according to functional and hierarchical principles and centralized management decision-making.

Professional bureaucracy is characterized by the following advantages: the ability to solve extraordinary problems that require the use of professional knowledge; very high motivation of employees to achieve organizational and group goals, and not just personal ones; weakening of top management's control over activities, which gives greater freedom for creative solutions to management problems.

It is worth noting the disadvantages of professional bureaucracy: its effectiveness sharply decreases when the organization operates in unchanged conditions, and its main components are not constantly exposed to the external environment; selection, placement and ensuring the functioning of workers acquire special importance, since their level of professionalism must be very high. This involves additional training for management employees; The forms of application of power are becoming more complex: in addition to the power of coercion and reward, expert and information power must be actively used.

Adhocracy as a form of bureaucratic management emerged relatively recently, in the 1970s. The term comes from Lat. ad hoc - special and Greek. kratos - power. A. Toffler used it to denote an organizational structure, the basis of which is temporary working groups created to solve one problem or project. Adhocracy is a management apparatus consisting of workers professionally performing managerial functions. This rapidly changing adaptive structure is organized around problems that are solved by teams of specialists with different professional backgrounds, selected according to the situation.

Adhocrats differ from Weber's ideal bureaucrats in the absence of a strict division of labor, a clear hierarchy, minimal formalization of activities, and a quick response to any changes in all components of the organization and the external environment. Devizadhocracy - maximum flexibility and adaptability in relation to the changing situation. Adhocracy is free from many of the disadvantages inherent in bureaucracy, is most effective in modern conditions and has a promising future.

The core of the value system of bureaucracy is: a career, with which all the thoughts and expectations of the employee are connected; self-identification of the employee with the organization; serving the organization as a means of achieving one's own benefit. Of the many contradictions that exist in management, the main one can be identified as the contradiction between the objectively social nature of management (since almost all members of society are involved in this process and directly depend on its results) and the subjectively closed way of its implementation, since in the end management, designed reflect the will of society, is carried out by a fairly local social group of professional managers.

One of the essential features of bureaucracy is the desire to monopolize power and control. Having achieved a monopoly, officials strive to organize complex system official secrets, which prevent employees or the public from making a real assessment of their actions. The ideal of bureaucratic regulation is to issue regulations themselves, to force society to comply with them, without allowing any control over oneself. Thus, the main socio-political interest of the bureaucracy is to implement and protect its monopoly of power functions in society.

Basic models of bureaucracy

The civil service is intended to perform the functions of public administration, the apparatus of which is organized on the principles of bureaucracy. In modern literature, the concept of “bureaucracy” has several meanings: a synonym for the concepts of “management”, “administration”; a rationally organized system of management in which matters are decided by competent employees at the proper professional level in accordance with laws and established rules.

Many outstanding scientists have studied bureaucracy. They put forward a number of theories, ideas, and described types (models) of bureaucracy. The main models of bureaucracy are: patrimonial (patriarchal), rational, Asian (Eastern), party-state (Soviet), realistic (modern), behavioral, etc.

The patrimonial model of bureaucracy characterizes the civil service of feudal states, in which tradition prevails. Developed patrimonialism is characterized by the absence of special formal (legal) norms regulating the civil service. The patrimonial bureaucracy uses traditional methods of solving the problems of public administration: personal connections, patronage; remuneration, bribes, bribery, gifts, extortion; force (violence), discretion, arbitrariness, etc. The success of resolving cases that depend on the state is also determined by the status and wealth of the citizen.

The patrimonial model of bureaucracy was most widely developed in Ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire, Byzantium, and China. A number of its elements are also characteristic of the civil service of the Russian Federation before the reforms of Peter I: the emergence of the service class instead of the tribal beginning of public administration; the increasing role of professional suitability in appointments to civil service positions; the dominance of the “feeding” system; spontaneous nature of official assignments; strict discipline, etc. At the same time, rulers (princes, kings) often relied on military force.

Imperial (Asian) model of bureaucracy

This model was most fully embodied in the Asian empires. Its classic form is Chinese bureaucracy. There are legends about her, representing her as almost a model of public service. In fact, the “Chinese model,” despite some formal similarities with the Weberian model (the system of examinations for the right to obtain a position plus a stepwise job hierarchy), is the opposite of it in its fundamental principles and goals.

As is known, in ancient and medieval China there was no right of private ownership of land in the European sense. (Son of Heaven) was the sole owner of all the lands of the country. Subjects, according to the Confucian tradition, were considered as members of one big family headed by the emperor. Accordingly, officials were managers of imperial property. Human nature was considered as a combination of light and darkness, i.e. good and bad - yin and yang. Hence, the task of the bureaucracy was understood not as serving public interests, but as mitigating the negative consequences of the action of the basically ineradicable vices of people in order to ensure the effective power of the Son of Heaven.

Accordingly, the entire notorious system of examinations for the possibility of occupying the position of an official was specific and meant only to test the candidates’ ability to serve the emperor and, most importantly, to ensure stability, stability, and immutability of the system, regardless of changing historical conditions and circumstances. To prevent the formation of a bureaucratic corporation, which would seem inevitable in such cases, a number of mechanisms were in place to separate officials and their interests.

Among such mechanisms of subordination of an official not to the bureaucratic structure of power as such, not to the interests of the bureaucratic elite, but only to the mercy of the emperor, one can include: the lack of narrow specialization among officials, which made it possible for them to be painlessly interchangeable like homogeneous parts of a mechanism; permanent candidates for positions, pursuing the same goal (passing the exams did not at all guarantee obtaining a position, but only allowed one to enter the number of applicants for it; the wait itself could last indefinitely, but could be shortened by a bribe, which, however, also did not give success ).

Also among the mechanisms of subordination should be included: the extreme limited prospects for a career (an official often remained in the same position for the entire period of his service, which often amounted to only a few years), and this made it meaningless to create a ladder of personal connections so common in other bureaucratic systems; personal dependence of all officials on the emperor; strict measures against informal connections among officials in order to prevent the emergence of stable coalitions among them.

For example, a ban on personal friendship, a ban on officials of the same clan serving in the same province, a ban on marriages from among local residents, a ban on acquiring property under the jurisdiction of an official; the official’s financial dependence is not on the imperial salary (usually quite small and far from covering the costs associated with obtaining the position). His well-being depended on his ability to squeeze the most out of his imperial subjects, including for his own personal benefit. This inevitably turned the official into an easily vulnerable violator of the laws with all the attendant consequences - fear of exposure, uncertainty even in his immediate future, etc.; lack of any personal or corporate guarantees for officials against arbitrary dismissals, demotions and transfers.

All laws were formulated in such a way that the official simply could not help but violate them and therefore was under constant fear of exposure and punishment, which made him completely dependent and defenseless before the higher authorities (this is one of the key differences between Chinese officials and “Weberian” bureaucrats); particularly careful control over the higher and middle bureaucracy, which is potentially more dangerous for the authorities, through an extensive network of secret police (censors); the practice of direct communication between the emperor and the lower echelon of the bureaucracy, bypassing its intermediate levels; the absence of the post of head of government, whose functions were performed by the emperor himself; and, of course, a personal system for all appointments.

The famous sinologist L.S. Perelomov, analyzing the influence of politics on the organization of the Chinese administration, lists a similar set of mechanisms contained in the form of a system of prescriptions in legalism - political doctrine, which practically underlay the entire Chinese state system: systematic updating of the apparatus; equal opportunities for officials; a clear gradation within the ruling class itself; unification of the thinking of bureaucrats; censorship supervision; strict personal liability of the official.

The system that made it possible to keep bureaucrats “in check” was deeply echeloned, with a large margin of safety. This shows the founders' awareness of the dangers of an insufficiently controlled bureaucracy. The Asian (“imperial” or “eastern”) model was described in the mid-19th century. K. Wittfogel, based on the ideas of the English school in political economy about the “Asian” society and K. Marx - about the “Asian” mode of production, where the supreme owner was the omnipotent state.

Most developed form This type is recognized by the Chinese bureaucracy, which existed for more than two thousand years. This model of bureaucracy was distinguished by the following features: passing examinations for vacant civil service positions as a form of testing the candidate’s ability to serve the emperor and ensure the stability of the existing management system; “atomization” of the bureaucracy, that is, its disunity so that it cannot unite against the supreme power; lack of narrow specialization of employees for the purpose of their painless replacement at any time; extremely limited career prospects; personal dependence of all employees on the emperor; strict measures against informal connections in the service (prohibitions on personal friendship, family ties, acquisition of property).

Also such features as: the financial dependence of employees not so much on the imperial salary, which was extremely low, but on the subjects, which gave rise to the opportunity to keep employees “on the hook” as violators of the law; lack of guarantees against arbitrary dismissals; the presence of secret police (censors) to control the highest and middle bureaucracy; the absence of the post of head of government, whose functions were performed by the emperor himself; personal system for all appointments. The imperial model of bureaucracy was especially actively used in the Russian Federation until the 18th century. with some features due to the presence in it of elements of the Byzantine and Tatar versions of the civil service. The imperial model dominated the Russian Federation during the Soviet period.

The theory of rational bureaucracy was put forward at the beginning of the 20th century. the outstanding German sociologist M. Weber. He considered this bureaucracy to be one of the greatest social inventions of mankind, technically the most advanced of all conceivable organizational forms. A number of ideas regarding this type of bureaucracy were expressed somewhat earlier in the works of A. Tocqueville, D.S. Mill, W. Wilson, as well as in the works of G. Hegel.

The theory of rational bureaucracy characterizes the civil service of developed capitalist states, especially Western ones. M. Weber identified stable and defining principles of the functioning of the bureaucratic system of public administration: personal freedom of the employee, protection from the arbitrariness of superior officials; hierarchy of positions, clear definition of chain of command and accountability; status of a civil service position as the only occupation of an employee, incompatible with other occupations (entrepreneurship, political activity etc.).

Also in the above listed principles should be added: the employee’s right to a career and the availability of appropriate legal standards for promotion; normative consolidation of the competence of each level\board; support of real management actions (decision making, collection and synthesis of information, control of execution, etc.) with written documents and their storage; the competence of employees not only in their specialty, but also in the field of administration and management; impersonality as the basis of rationalization, a guarantee against arbitrariness, resolving cases strictly according to the law, “without love and hatred”; strict discipline and control over the actions of employees, etc.

The implementation of these principles ensures the superiority of the power of the people through clarity, speed, competence, continuity, stability, subordination, and impersonality of the activities of civil servants. M. Weber compared the advantages of a rational bureaucracy over a patrimonial one with the superiority of mechanical production over manual production. Its effectiveness is based on professionalism, legal norms, objectivity, and non-interference in politics.

M. Weber’s views generally coincide with the conclusions of the American scientist, who later became US President, Woodrow Wilson. In his work “Study of Administration” (1887), he put forward the following principles of bureaucracy: the presence of a single control center of the management system as a prerequisite for its efficiency and responsibility; separation of management from politics; professionalism of employees; organizational hierarchy as a condition for financial and administrative efficiency, etc.

Of particular importance is Wilson's idea, then developed by Goodnow, about the dichotomy of the public administration system, in which two types of management are carried out: political and administrative. Political governance is carried out by elected officials who can be replaced at any time. Administrative management is carried out by civil servants appointed to appropriate positions, irremovable when replacing political leaders, working on the basis of the principles of professionalism, stability, career, etc. This approach ensures the efficiency of the entire public administration system.

In the Russian Federation, a number of elements of the model of rational bureaucracy were introduced by Peter I in the 20s of the 18th century. on the basis of such acts as the “General Regulations” and the “Table of Ranks of all military, civil and court ranks, which ranks are in what class.” Of particular importance was the introduction of requirements for the level of professionalism of employees, a career system of official appointments, and measures to weaken personal ties when recruiting and serving. The system was improved over almost two centuries and was abolished as a result of the October Revolution of 1917.

The party-state model of bureaucracy dominated during the Soviet period Russian history, as well as in a number of countries that were building a socialist society at that time. The economic basis of this model of bureaucracy was public ownership of the means of production (which brings it closer to the imperial model), the political basis was the leadership role of the monopoly ruling party.

This service is characterized by the following features: modification of the personal system of party appointments (introduction of nomenclature for this purpose - main and accounting), placement of party members in key positions in the civil service; viewing public service as a highly professional rather than managerial activity; an assimilated approach to civil servants, when they do not stand out from the general mass of employees and act in accordance with labor rather than administrative law; employee - no higher than the average worker.

Realistic model of bureaucracy

Let us now turn to the interpretation of bureaucracy that is called realistic. In fact, it is precisely this that is now dominant in the countries of Western democracy. In essence, we are talking about the gradual addition and modernization of the Weberian model. Another, largely alternative approach began to take shape in the 70s. last century through the efforts of mainly American authors. Expressing the general spirit of the largely revolutionary time for the West in the late 60s and early 70s, they fundamentally criticized the very desire to present bureaucracy as the highest form of organization, allowing the best solution to the problems of modern civilization.

The concepts of “responsive” administration, polycentrism, “flat” structures, etc. appeared. Today, in world practice, the primary role in management, including government, of cultural factors and the formation of a new culture of public service has already been recognized. It is believed that without an ethical component, any administrative reforms have little chance of success.

Another aspect of the process of fundamental changes in the public service is its turn towards people. The citizen is seen as a kind of “client” government agencies. From the status of a ward, a petitioner, he moves to the status of a person realizing the services provided to him by the state. In general, the revision of the principles of the civil service that has taken place in recent decades can be reduced to the following areas: analysis and institutionalization of the political role of the bureaucracy and the mechanisms for realizing its corporate interests; search for the optimal balance between political and professional beginnings in administration; reducing the role of the vertical administrative hierarchy, developing functional bodies, “flat” structures, etc.; decentralization, cheapening, reduction of administration; limiting the role of the traditional administrative “ladder of ranks”; introduction of management and even in a significant part of the civil service; the greatest possible openness, “responsiveness” of the bureaucracy to the needs and expectations of citizens; a significant increase in attention to the cultural and moral and ethical aspects of the civil service.

The aspects of the fight against bureaucracy are interesting. Traditionally, those outside of power are happy to expose and criticize bureaucratic fabrications in the formation and implementation of power. Every self-respecting oppositionist considered and still considers it his duty to accuse the current government of bureaucracy. But as soon as the same individuals and movements come to power and take control of the state apparatus, they often reproduce a bureaucracy, no less than the overthrown one.

The state apparatus exists and is by no means going to self-destruct. If some madman who had seized power tried to do something like that, it would lead to immediate disaster for society. It turns out that the objects and subjects of criticism of bureaucracy change places, creating in public opinion the impression of a struggle against bureaucracy, and it is recreated in one or another formation, then in one or another type of state. Few researchers are trying to see the real origins of its centuries-old existence.

The modern (“behavioural”, “realistic”) model of bureaucracy reflects the results of the modernization of the Weberian model in the process of administrative reforms that began in 1978 in New Zealand, in 1979 in England, then in the USA and a number of other developed countries, and since 1993 - in Russia.

The conditions for modernizing the Weberian model of public service were: the formation of an information, post-industrial society; the emergence of new production and management technologies; a radical change in the role of man in production and in the life of the state. The scientific basis of the reforms was the theories of “human relations”, “public choice”, “flat” and network structures.

Changes in the public administration system have affected the problems of division of labor and roles between civil servants and politicians, the scope and content of the tasks of the civil service, approaches to the implementation of the requirements of its neutrality and independence. On this basis, a more advanced, modernized, compared to Weber’s, model of bureaucracy is emerging. It is characterized by the following features:

Changing the goals of the public service, the meaning of its existence thanks to a decisive turn to the needs of the population, the tasks of developing civil society;

politicization of the bureaucracy, blurring the boundaries between it and politicians, joint participation with them in decision-making and management; addition of the formal structure to the informal one, inclusion in the model of the subjective, human factor of public service measurement, changing the requirements for civil servants, highlighting their professionalism, competence, constructiveness, activity, initiative, ability to make justified decisions in conditions of increasing uncertainty, lack or lack of management information based on developed intuition; reducing the role of the vertical hierarchy, developing functional bodies, “flat”, horizontal, network structures in the public service, reducing the importance of the traditional administrative “ladder of ranks and titles”; commercialization of the public service, transfer of part of the state apparatus to market principles of functioning, primarily in the sphere of sales of social services to the population; separation of the functions of politics and services to citizens, transfer on a specific basis of a number of functions of public institutions to private ones; managerialization of the civil service, the use of achievements of the management culture of entrepreneurship in the activities of civil servants; increased attention to the preservation of eternal, universal values - the honesty and competence of the state, its responsibility to citizens for damage caused, respect for the law; These requirements are caused by the tendency recorded in studies to reduce the professionalism of civil servants and the level of administrative morality.

A realistic model of the civil service can become a guide for subjects of management and reform of the modern Russian civil service.

Russian specifics of bureaucracy

As for Russia, it combined various versions of the “imperial” model: until the 18th century. the combination of the Byzantine and Tatar variants dominated, and the latter, in turn, used elements of the Chinese model in a rough form (in particular, in the collection of taxes). With Peter's reforms, elements borrowed from European absolutism were added to it, i.e. in the “semi-imperial” version. Since the 19th century, and especially since its second half - since the reforms of Alexander II, elements of the model of rational bureaucracy began to develop. However, in general, the imperial model of “sovereign service” still prevailed until 1917, and in the Soviet period it received a new powerful impetus.

Bureaucracy (bureaucracy as a derivative phenomenon) is a form of exercise of power (primarily state power), in which the general will of an organization (society, citizens) is replaced by the will of a group of individuals.

This substitution is initiated by many reasons: the irrational construction of the state apparatus, in which there are many duplicating, parallel structures; the absence or weak legal regulation of management processes in terms of both substantive and procedural norms; low level of control over compliance with established procedures; insufficient professional training of politicians and civil servants.

The realities of history and modernity convincingly show that under bureaucracy there is a substitution of not only will, but also interests and goals. Hence the cult of the leader, the messianic thinking of almost every “boss,” isolation, loyalty of those around him, hidden mechanisms for selecting personnel, and much more. Bureaucracy leads to the fact that, as a result of substitution, group interests, goals and will begin to be presented as common. In such cases, the authorities pretend that they act on behalf and on behalf of everyone, and that whatever they say or do, it is all supposedly for the benefit of everyone, for benefit and development, although everyone has a different, often opposite, opinion on relevant issues. Formalism, veneration of rank, long writing, etc. - is nothing more than the attributes of bureaucracy, its design, hiding behind the “external” the essence of the “internal” - the use of power for the sake of personal gain.

See what “Bureaucracy” is in other dictionaries. About bureaucracy and bureaucracy in simple words What is bureaucracy in history

Definition of “bureaucracy”

Weber's theory of bureaucracy

The concept of bureaucracy according to sociologists R. Merton and A. Gouldner

Types of bureaucracy

Classic bureaucracy

Adhocracy

Professional bureaucracy

Russian bureaucracy

Conclusion

Signs of bureaucracy.

Bureaucracy as a social threat.

Formation of bureaucracy.

Development of bureaucracy during the evolution of society.

Development of bureaucracy in Russia.

A short historical excursion

BUREAUCRACY

BUREAUCRACY

History of the development of bureaucracy, basic theories of power

Article under development

Bureaucracy is the definition

History of bureaucracy

Theories of bureaucracy

The first direction is class theories

Karl Marx's theory of bureaucracy

The second direction is organizational theories

Hegel's theory of bureaucracy

Theories of bureaucracy according to Weber and Wilson

Theories of bureaucracy according to Merton and Gouldner

Types of bureaucracy

Professional bureaucracy

Basic models of bureaucracy

Imperial (Asian) model of bureaucracy

Realistic model of bureaucracy

Russian specifics of bureaucracy

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