The Agony of Dropping Bureaucracy

Bureaucracy bashing is an artifact of the post-layoff culture.  Managers, consultants, politicians, and taxpayers all have embraced the politically correct mantra that “bureaucracy must be stomped out!”  Unfortunately, the majority of those calling for an end to bureaucratic evil support and reinforce values that are central to the philosophy of bureaucracy.  We are deeply, often unconsciously, conditioned to connect with our organizations from a bureaucratic frame of reference. 

 As originally articulated by the German sociologist Max Weber, bureaucratic organizational systems were conceived as a way to instill merit and base promotions on performance rather than birthright or charisma. From it came the basic notion of separation of the office from the officer, which, in turn, led to such recognizable management staples as job descriptions, merit pay, succession planning, policies, procedures, and uniform “objective” administration and management processes. 

Many of our values concerning loyality, motivation, and commitment also have their roots in it.  Our notions of long-term employment and equating pay increases, promotion and perquisites to organizational loyalty rather than professional competence are grounded in classic bureaucratic assumptions. For those of us who spend our lives in organizations, the shift from a fixed, long-term bureaucratic connection with our organizations to one that is more fluid and flexible is gut wrenching.  In order to let go of the old, no-longer functional bureaucratic connection with our organizations, we need a new vision, something to hold on to.  The creation of this post-bureaucratic vision is no easy task.  As is the case with all fundamental changes in worldview, there are aspects that are guaranteed to hook our feelings, emotions, and deep-seated beliefs.   Consider your reaction to this vision of an organization operating outside the bureaucratic paradigm:   

 There are no job descriptions, no merit pay steps, no clear hierarchy or direct connection between responsibility and formal authority.  The focus is external – to the customer, the community, and to society – there is very little internal focus.  The learning organization is a literal concept: organizations are communities of learning and, thus, individual decision-making is subordinated to the wisdom of the collective.  Although some people may stay for long periods of time there is no long-term job security.  Employees are attracted to the organization because of the work and when the work is no longer a manifestation of their human spirit, they will leave.  Unlike bureaucracy, there is no separation of the office and the officer – the organization is shaped and tasks are assigned based on individual talents and not on filling a pre-defined role as in the bureaucratic job description.  Feelings and emotions are not controlled or suppressed but are encouraged and stimulated.

 The above description passes the emotional test of a paradigm shift and most of us get at least one of our hot buttons pushed when we consider such an organization.  That’s why bureaucracy is so hard to bury.  The organization of the new paradigm will be a human system, filled with all the messy, gooey, stuff of humanity. Difficult though it may be, we must learn to accept it and live with it.