Bureaucracy

• Bureaucracy
– Rational, efficient way of completing tasks and rewarding individuals
based on their contributions. Giving reward to completed tasks
– However, it can also be inefficient, unwieldy organisation, and
unresponsive to human needs.
– Bureaucracy serves a function in our society.
– Any system based on other than selection and promotion based on
merit will create unfairness and discrimination.
 Characteristics of Bureaucracy
• The bureaucratic form of organisation was introduced in Europe as
it was believed to be the most efficient and rational form for
organisations with goals of high productivity and efficiency.
• Written regulations and rules maximizes bureaucratic operations
and efficiency.
• A highly defined hierarchy of authority, in which those higher in the
hierarchy give orders to those lower in the hierarchy. Those who
work in bureaucratic settings are called bureaucrats.
 Characteristics of Bureaucracy
• Bureaucratic authority rests in various offices or positions.

• Employees that are hired are based on technical know-how and performance on entry examinations

• Formal and impersonal record keeping and communications are within the organisations.

• Administrative staff are paid.

• Within any bureaucracy, informal relationships will form which can increase worker satisfaction, but only
for a point. Informal groups can become disruptive to the efficiency of the bureaucracy.

• Weber (1947) discussed the elements that make a bureaucratic organisation.

 School as a Bureaucracy
• Bureaucracy is an efficient way of completing tasks and rewarding
individuals based on their contributions.
• It can also represent an inefficient, impersonal, unmanageable and
unresponsive to human needs.
• We can understand the working of bureaucracy when we divide
organisations into formal and informal parts.
• Bureaucracy also serve a function in society. Any system based on
other selection and promotion based on merit will create
unfairness and discrimination.
 School as a Bureaucracy
• Schools are unique because it is expected to transmit values, ideals
and shared knowledge.

• It also foster individual’s cognitive and emotional growth as a

whole person.

• Schools are normally made up of classrooms, the day into periods,

students into groups by grades and performance in examinations.
Weber’s Bureaucracy in school context
Characteristics Explanation School Context

Division of Labour • Allocate personnel to • Efficiency is high if we Eg: PE teacher –

positions best suited at know the tasks and incharge all
administrative and adept of performing
teaching levels them but high degree ofclasses
• Formalisation of specialisation results in
recruitment and boredom.
promotion policies • For a teacher, each
• Promotion and salary student and class is a
based on merit challenge. Constant
updates of materials
and techniques and
learning of new
materials relieves
boredom.
Weber’s Bureaucracy in school context
Characteristics Explanation School Context

Division of Labour • Burnout can happen as

the intensity of work is
too much
• Salary schedules and
criteria for promotion is
linked to individual’s
level of education and
seniority in service.
Weber’s Bureaucracy in school context
Characteristics Explanation School Context

Administrative Hierarchy • A specific chain of • Hierarchy of power in a

command school-
• A designated channel of • Principal/school head
communication • Senior assistants
• Teachers
Someone incharge – • Staff
Principal + DP admin +DP • Students
ACAD
• A person will receive
and give out varying
numbers and types of
messages, depending
on the position in the
hierarchy
Weber’s Bureaucracy in school context
Characteristics Explanation School Context

• Pattern of communication
include the downward flow
from teachers to students.
More inter-action is
encouraged. Teachers
would become ‘facilitators’
in the learning process
instead of ‘directors’.

• Hierarchical differences are

observed in formal title.
Teachers call students by
their first name while
students use more formal
address to relate to their
teachers
Weber’s Bureaucracy in school context
Characteristics Explanation School Context

Specific rules of Procedure • Curriculum and syllabus • Teachers and students

to be covered are socialised into the
• School rules and system’s rules and
regulations regulations
• Examination procedures • Conformity of rules are
• School requirements crucial to avoid being
ridiculed or singled out.
• School routine is set up
by rules, dress code,
restroom behaviour,
cafeteria time, recess,
after school activities,
examination procedure
Weber’s Bureaucracy in school context
Characteristics Explanation School Context

Formalised and effective • No emphasis on personal • Individuals holding certain

neutral role relationships relationship position will be treated in a
• Relationship related to ‘neutral’ manner to avoid
goals orientation favouritism

• If an individual is treated
‘differently’ charges of
preferential treatment,
discrimination and
prejudice will be observed.

• You can picture an

examination hall doing a
standardised examination
in process as an example of
a familiar situation of
equal treatment.
Weber’s Bureaucracy in school context
Characteristics Explanation School Context

Rationality of Total • Achieveble goals and • For greater efficiency,

Organisation objectives school practice
• Realistic vision and standardisation,
mission formalisation and
centralisation
• Teacher specialisation in
certain subjects or
discipline
• Students are
categorised according to
performance
Weber’s Bureaucracy in school context
Characteristics Explanation School Context

Positions individuals hold • Any replacement for • Teachers hold the same
in the organisation belong vacant positions responsibilities to
to the organisation resumes the same educate and prepare
responsibilities their students for adult
• Authority over others life.
only in areas related to • Teachers are
the job autonomous in the
• Authority is a type of decision making and
power that gives the classroom
role-holder the right to management.
make decisions and • If a teacher/principal
exert influence and retires/resigns, his/her
control in specified replacement resumes
areas. the same authority and
responsibility.
 Weber’s Bureaucracy
• Short Exercise:

• Brainstorm in groups of two for fifteen minutes virtually and

come up with examples of bureaucratic organisations’
practices. You may relate the bureaucracy that exists in your
individual schools/institutions.
• Be ready to explain your thoughts to the instructor.
 Weber’s Bureaucracy in school context
• Head of communities ( building, safety) SM team- checking facilities of the school
• (HSSE- safety of the building , HEALTH – first aid / accident )
• SM finance – school fund, school fees and canteen payment ? Miscellaneous fund
• SM
• Majilis pelajar / PRS (students)
• group sekolah: pibg, admin,departments
• Head of discipline handling students discipline matter
• Registrar – new students, inies, student attendant, add profile students,transfer students
• HOD- attend dept meeting, provide action plan and departmental scorecard, dept work review ,
observe the teachers
• SM team- checking facilities of the school
• Cancelor – cousnseling
 Weber’s Bureaucracy with examples of bureaucratic
organisations
1. Some teacher have restriction of out of school activities
enhance of curriculum.
2. Complex of teaching a class according to standardized
curriculum VS making adjudgment according to the readiness
of the students
3. They used standardized test for university admission to
supplement ,sometime replace, second school record.
 Expected problems in Educational Bureaucracies
• If there is an attempt to place some people in right categories to
maximise efficiency in an organisation, there will be people who
do not meet the right category.
• The structure of bureaucracy may lead to school to experience
difficulties.
• Huge enrolments with test scores, rather than an in -depth
knowledge of students’ family background problems, motivation
and other personal characteristics, may hinder the screening and
placement of students which determines their future.
 Expected problems in Educational Bureaucracies

• Impersonal relationships is an issue here since students who

are at a disadvantaged are unable to get counselling support,
exposure to positive role models and the need to develop a
positive self-image.
• Official rules tend to overcome the behaviour of school
personnel and this makes it difficult to circumvent when
problems happen.
 Expected problems in Educational Bureaucracies

• Teachers and students are powerless to change school

conditions and so become apathetic as regards with solving
Showing no interest
problems.
• Teachers as administrators may develop bureaucratic
personalities, thus becoming insecure, as overly protective of
their jobs, narrowly less concerned with teaching and inflexible
in their daily routine.
 Expected problems in Educational Bureaucracies

• There are some elements in an educational bureaucracy that

has some positive insights like for some students who conform
to bureaucratic expectations, life in school can be rewarding.
However, on the downside, for many, bureaucracy is confusing
and difficult to understand.
• Their negative feelings towards bureaucracy become obvious
as the system gets larger.
 Expected problems in Educational Bureaucracies

• They are caught up in rules and regulations and being treated

as numbers.

• An example in school would be a class teacher teaching thirty

or more students with an average of six periods per day is less
likely to recognise an individual’s problem or allocate time and
energy to deal with it.
 Solutions in overcoming impersonal bureaucracy

• Decentralising decision making

• Curricular change

• Personalising instructions and having students to get involved

in community settings.
 Criticism of Weber’s Bureaucracy

• Inefficiency can happen in a bureaucracy.

– Bureaucracy can only formulate rules based on what it knows or
expects.

– Novel
New
situations or extenuating circumstances arise that the rules do
not cover. When the unusual happens, rules may not be of much
help.