In the word of Gournay; ‘’here the offices-clerks,
secretaries, inspectors and attendants are not appointed to benefit the public
interest, indeed the public interest appears to have been established do that
offices might exist’’. Bureaucracy- It is evident and an indisputable fact
that a lot of work has been done by successive government in Nigeria towards
eradicating bottlenecks in the country’s public administration.
It is an against the back – drop, that any
described bureaucracy as “ Levia than” a monolithic and virtually
uncontrollable force eaten away at personal liberties and economic resources.
For him, it is a fool: few set of individuals bound with red toe and rule book.
He accuses bureaucrats and bureaucracies of operating utranies (beyond the
scope of their authority).
However, porters view, implies that bureaucracy is its own seed of discord, hence in all the complex organizations things are never done through the front door quickly, expect through the back door, but it is the opinion of the researcher that Peter is not completely correct in his assumption on findings that bureaucracy is not an uncontrollable and a leviathan”, taking cognizance of the fact that bureaucracy is a subject to influence of the political authority and therefore lacks the will power to the expression of the will of the state. In contrast to Peters view, P.J. Godwin stated thus: “They are there in all government systems, two primary functions of government; the expression of the will of state and the execution of that will. There are in all states separates organs each of which is busied mainly with the discharge of one of these functions. These functions are mainly politics and administration respectively.
However, porters view, implies that bureaucracy is its own seed of discord, hence in all the complex organizations things are never done through the front door quickly, expect through the back door, but it is the opinion of the researcher that Peter is not completely correct in his assumption on findings that bureaucracy is not an uncontrollable and a leviathan”, taking cognizance of the fact that bureaucracy is a subject to influence of the political authority and therefore lacks the will power to the expression of the will of the state. In contrast to Peters view, P.J. Godwin stated thus: “They are there in all government systems, two primary functions of government; the expression of the will of state and the execution of that will. There are in all states separates organs each of which is busied mainly with the discharge of one of these functions. These functions are mainly politics and administration respectively.
THE EFFECTS OF BUREAUCRACY
Bureaucracy reduces effectiveness at delivering product
or service that the system was designed to form a consumer/citizen side. It
causes a loss of faith that the system is either helpful, or that it exists for
their benefit. The constant frustration followed by this loss of faith causes
people to disengage from the system itself.
Weber’s main concern was that bureaucracies could lose sight of their
purpose and begin to act as a special interest group. In other words, they
might exist for their own sake, rather than to meet some societal need, Weber
was also out individualism. Bureaucracy tended to expand, for the reasons cited
above and Weber expressed a wish that some countervailing force needed to be
opposed to what he called ‘’the parceling out of the soul’’. Modern concerns
about bureaucracy tend to come from the opposite point of view. Weber thought
that bureaucracy was so ruthlessly efficient that it would become so powerful.
Modern criticism of bureaucracy has tended to focus on the idea that
bureaucracies are bloated, inefficient and overly expensive. From the
organizational perspective, bureaucracies can create sclerosis in the
organization. People can become obsessed with following rules and procedures
instead of doing the job most effectively. In this way, the emphasis on rules
that comes along with a bureaucracy is
very problematic.
ADVANTAGES OF BUREAUCRACY
CONTROL
With lots of management, a bureaucratic structure has a
very strong boundary, commands and expectations are all very clear and well communicated.
Authority is not spread; instead this is centralized among employees. Job
descriptions are specialized and detailed. Overtime, bureaucracy establishes
several rules in order to maintain its structure.
Management is capable of monitoring outcomes that leads
itself towards standard services and products as well as quality control.
MECHANISTIC
Exerting intense and self control, bureaucracies tend to
work like matches made up of different gears and cogs.
Every part functioning and serving entirely. This might
sound dystopian, seeing organizations work like machines but this quite an
advantage because this enables management to focus on coordinating effort and
success. This approach works best in conventional environment. Humming along
mechanically, order of bureaucratic organizations fit together with stability
enabling companies to move relentlessly its set strategic goals.
ECONOMICS OF SALE
Grouping jobs categorically by functions breeds
particular economies. Department shares resources efficiently, bureaucratic
structures requires specialization of jobs leading to economics of sales as
workers and employees function and work repetitively with increased efficiency,
proficiency and productivity.
Still on the advantages; bureaucracies have been a more
human side in that they are collection of individuals who bring talents, values
and idiosyncrasies to them. Indeed it has been observed that the essential
ingredients of the bureaucratic behavior are the various personnel values
reflected in day to day operations.
Another advantage is that, society needs more social
vices and amenities, such as education, electricity etc. it is the Bureaucracy
that is charge with the responsibility of discharging all these functions for
the society.
Also, some of the laws passed by the legislators are so
technical that only the expert can handle properly. However bureaucracy has
grown more visible and important to more people that they once were. The
administrative machinery of government has become so large and complex that
modifying its procedure and output truly does require herculean efforts and
great perseverance.
DISADVANTAGES OF BUREAUCRACY
LOW MORALE
When jobs are specialized, there is the tendency that it
would be repetitive. This can lead to boredom in some employees and may also
lead to dissatisfaction. Employees are not judge on how they fulfill their main
functions, employees dis-empowerment rooted from centralized structure. With
bureaucratic structure holding more authority, employees become passive,
helpless and indifferent to the goals of the company.
ABSENCE OF MANEUVERABILITY
This type of structure stops a company from quickly maneuvering, the charges in certain procedures must pass through chains of
evaluations and commands before getting approval, in stable settings, this
rigidity is not really an issue but in volatile scenarios, the inability to
change quickly can pose real problems. Lumbering companies cannot move abrupt
competitive threats.
RELEVANCE
A particular company that brings up rear in market faces
adjustments is impossible to become a leader in the industry. Dis-empowered
employees lack the freedom to innovate for higher or better positions within
the company especially when abrupt market shift happen between lack of maneuverability difficulty in innovating companies are employing bureaucratic
structures has the risk of becoming irrelevant in their own niche or industry.
LACK OF INNOVATIONS
Victor Thompson criticizes bureaucracy on the lack of
innovations. For instance, the contents that bureaucracy is not supposed to e
innovative, but are only supposed to carryout externally defined tasks in a
reliable, predictable fashion. More than
this, bureaucratization is said to undermine organizational effectiveness for a
reason that has never been expressed more succinctly than by Fred Riggs. In his
words is ‘’the more elaborate the structure, the more likely it is fall into
disarray and stop working just as a precision watch more likely to stop working
than a sun dial’’.
Therefore, increasing bureaucratic organization becomes
progressively more susceptible to performance lapses as its structural
arrangement becomes more elaborate.
SUBSTANTIAL GAPS
Robert Merton in his book, leadership in bureaucracy
points to the fact that the emphasis on rules and their impersonal application
although designed as a means of ending or to end very frequently translates
themselves into ends in which cases it’s only the reverse that follows. More
often than not, the rules defeat the purpose which they were meant to serve.
Also, bureaucracy and bureaucratic culture are highly complex and contain a
number of subtleties which create a substantial gap between form and reality,
for instance, despites considerable efforts at the establishment, a high degree
of administration professionalism has remained elusive. Only at the uppermost
level of the organization is there a strong tendency towards career services,
professional prestige which often go hand in hand with professionalism.
One particular theme that runs throughout the idea of
how bureaucracy affects organizations and the people within them. At times
leaders in organizations may set meaningless bureaucratic goals and true
progress can be hindered because of it. As in evidenced in the novel, characters
such as Colonel Cathcart and Colonel Korn set pointless goals, like having
their subordinates fly a certain number of missions. Colonel Cathcart
continually raises the number of missions for the sole reason of personality
receiving glory and recognition for his effort.
CONCLUSION
Bureaucracy defines the roles of organizations and
government in the due course to which proper management is to be adhered.
Therefore it has been retired and also retrieved to daily basis in day to day
routine supplications to analyzing the important roles to play in the society
and the governmental aspects to humanity.