BUREAUCRACY AND ITS STRUCTURES

A Term Paper
Presented to
DR. ZENAIDA MICAYABAS
Department of Community Development
College of Public Affairs
Mindanao State University
Marawi City

In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Course
CD 120-Dd (Social Structures and Processes)
2nd semester, 2014-2015

By
IVAN XAVIER S. CAINGCOY
February 9, 2015

Title: Bureaucracy and its Structures

Thesis Statement: Bureaucracy is defined in many ways and also have different kinds such as
pre-bureaucracy, bureaucracy, and post-bureaucracy. It has also its own typologies and different
characteristics.
Introduction:
This paper talks about bureaucracy and its own structures, kinds, typologies, and
characteristics. This paper summarizes the available data about bureaucracy.

I.

Bureaucracy
A. Definition of Bureaucracy
B. Etymology of Bureaucracy

II.

Kinds of Bureaucracy
A. Pre-Bureaucracy
B. Bureaucracy
C. Post-Bureaucracy

III.

Characteristics of an Ideal Bureaucracy

Conclusion
Although there are many connotations about bureaucracy, still, it only portrays one thing
as an administration of the government through departments and subdivisions managed by set of
officials following an inflexible routine that promotes efficiency through division of labor.

INTRODUCTION
What comes to your mind when you hear the word Bureaucracy? Do you even bother
to know about it? Do you even wonder if why is it existing and how does it work? Or even
wondering if what does it portrays? If you found this questions yourself well then, you are very
interested on knowing more about it.
Moving on for more information, do you even know that there are many connotations
about bureaucracy? Such as bureaucracy is defined as a body of non-elective officials and/or an
administrative policy making-group, an administrative system, especially in the government, that
divides work into specific categories carried out by special departments of non-elected officials,
personnel and administrative structure of an organization, and a formal, rationally organized
social structure involving clearly defined patterns of activity in which every series of actions is
fundamentally related to the purpose of the organization.
By the way, do you even wonder if where the term Bureaucracy did came from? Well,
bureaucracy came from the French word bureau which means a desks or office, together with
the Greek word kratos which means to rule or having a political power. It was coined
sometime in the mid-18th century by the French economist Jacques Claude Marie Vincent de
Gournay, and was a satirical pejorative from the outset. Gournay never wrote the term down, but
was later quoted at length in a letter from a contemporary:
Bureaucracy as a term has also its own kinds such as pre-bureaucracy, bureaucracy, and
the post-bureaucracy. Next is its own typologies such as bureaucratic authority and bureaucratic
management. And lastly the characteristics that shapes bureaucracy as a whole which has been
provided by Max Weber.
This paper focuses and limits on the available data about bureaucracy especially on its
different connotations, kinds, typologies, and essential characteristics which has been given by
Max Weber.
The main objective of this study is to provide the reader adequate information and ample
background about bureaucracy. Its for them to be aware about on how bureaucracy functions in
the society.
The researcher gathered the information through the use of library resources such as the
books, encyclopedias, and other related reading texts which served as the primary sources of the
paper and the internet as the secondary source. In addition, the conclusion made by the
researcher will be based on the collected readings gathered.

I.

Bureaucracy
A. Definition of Bureaucracy

A bureaucracy is "a body of non-elective government officials" and/or "an

administrative
policy-making
group".
Historically,
bureaucracy
was government
administration managed by departments staffed with nonelected officials. Today, bureaucracy is
the administrative system governing any large institution.
Since being coined, the word "bureaucracy" has developed negative connotations for
some. Bureaucracies are criticized when they become too complex, inefficient, or too inflexible.
The dehumanizing effects of excessive bureaucracy were a major theme in the work of Franz
Kafka, and were central to his most well-known work, The Trial. The elimination of unnecessary
bureaucracy is a key concept in modern managerial theory and has been a central issue in
numerous political campaigns.
Others have defended the necessity of bureaucracies. The German sociologist Max
Weber argued that bureaucracy constitutes the most efficient and rational way in which human
activity can be organized, and that systematic processes and organized hierarchies were
necessary to maintain order, maximize efficiency and eliminate favoritism. But even Weber saw
unfettered bureaucracy as a threat to individual freedom, in which an increase in the
bureaucratization of human life can trap individuals in an "iron cage" of rule-based, rational
control.
A bureaucracy is also defined in different ways such as a body of non-elective officials
and/or an administrative policy making-group, an administrative system, especially in the
government, that divides work into specific categories carried out by special departments of nonelected officials, personnel and administrative structure of an organization, business, labor,
religion, educational, and governmental systems depend on a large workforce arranged in a
hierarchy to carry out specialized tasks based on internal rules and procedures, and a formal,
rationally organized social structure involving clearly defined patterns of activity in which every
series of actions is fundamentally related to the purpose of the organization.

B. Etymology of Bureaucracy
The term "bureaucracy" is French in origin, and combines the French word bureau
desk or office with the Greek word kratos rule or political power.[16] It was coined sometime
in the mid-18th century by the French economist Jacques Claude Marie Vincent de Gournay, and
was a satirical pejorative from the outset. Gournay never wrote the term down, but was later
quoted at length in a letter from a contemporary.

II.

Kinds of Bureaucracy
A. Pre-Bureaucracy

The Pre-Bureaucracy refers to the type of an organization which lacks in standards or

qualities. (e.g. small organizations)
B. Bureaucracy
The bureaucracy refers to the system of administration. (e.g. colleges and universities)
C. Post-Bureaucracy
The Post-Bureaucracy inherits the strict hierarchies, but open to more modern ideas &
methodologies. (e.g. Department of Education)
III.

Characteristics of an Ideal Bureaucracy

There are several related characteristics of an ideal bureaucracy identified by Weber.

Since the emphasis is on the ideal type, what exists in reality may just approximate it. However,
these can be used for the analysis of large-scale formal organizations. They include the
following:

Positions and offices are clearly defined and in principle

The hierarchical arrangement of authority, rights, and obligations are specifically drawn
and clear-cut
The personnel are selected on the basis of technical or professional qualification and
expert training
Definite rules govern official behavior
Security of tenure and the pursuit of a career with promotion in the hierarchy is assured

CONCLUSION
Society sure has a lot of structures coming in and out. There are lots of rules, policies,
and misconducts. But one thing which makes the researcher have interest to study is the term
commonly known as bureaucracy.
Bureaucracy is really interesting in the sense that there are lots of twists going on.
Especially when the researcher found out during his studies that bureaucracy itself is very
unique. Why unique? Its because bureaucracy functions in a different way other than the
government ways of handling a certain organizations.
The researcher found out that bureaucracy is somehow different from the government but
theres a little similarities among them. Why is it different and how come there is a similarity
between the two? Its because when we say government, they are all chosen by being elected in
their respective positions while in bureaucracy, it is formed by a group of people who are chosen
on their positions by not being elected and is related and involved in the government affairs.
Now, they are similar in a way that each of them possesses a political motive and they both
involved in the field of economics.
But even though bureaucracy possesses this uniqueness, there is always still negative
aspects along the way. Especially here in the Philippines, bureaucracy is said to be vulnerable to
nepotism and favoritism due to strong family ties and familism. This is why other people views
bureaucracy in the Philippines as SHAME its because of the said negative aspects that it
possesses.
But aside from those negative aspects, bureaucracy also possess a somehow positive side
like it promotes efficiency through the division of labor.

WORKS CITED

BOOKS

Panopio, MacDonald, Raymundo. General Sociology. Focuses on the Philippines (Third Edition)

ENCYCLOPEDIA

Bureaucracy. (2008). Microsoft Encarta Premium. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation

ONLINE RESOURCES

Bureaucracy. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bureaucracy