Groups and Organizations

What makes a formal organization different from any other type of group? First, formal organizations are typically large, secondary, instrumental type groups. More importantly, as the name suggests, formal organizations are groups that are organized formally. This formal organization is called bureaucracy. According to your text, there are four different elements of bureaucracy. These elements include:

• Hierarchy of authority
• Clear division of labor
• Explicit rules
• Impersonality

Each organization can have any of these elements of bureaucracy to differing degrees. But why do organizations adopt bureaucracy in the first place. According to your text, bureaucracy is rational decision. Bureaucracy is intended to be functional for the organization, i.e. to benefit the organization by making it more efficient, effective and successful. Of course, bureaucracy may not always function as intended. Here is your task:

Select any three of the four elements of bureaucracy.

1. Describe the intended function of each element, i.e. how might that element be beneficial to the organization.
2. For the same three elements, describe how each element might actually be dysfunction (harmful) to the organization under certain circumstances.

Organizations are not just abstract ideas. They are real groups made up of real people. Whatever patterns the organization adopts with necessarily have an impact, of better or worse, on the members of that organization. Therefore, each of the elements of bureaucracy might be both beneficial and/or harmful to members of the organization. Using the same three elements of bureaucracy you selected above:

3. Describe how your three elements might be good for all or at least some of the individual members or the organization.
4. Describe how, perhaps under certain circumstances, how the same three elements might be harmful for all or at least some of the members of the organization.