Power Authority and

Bureaucracy
Topic 8
Studying power
• Sociologists have a distinctive approach to studying governmental power
and authority that differs from the perspective of political scientists. For
the most part, political scientists focus on studying how power is
distributed in different types of political systems.

• Sociologists, however, tend to be more interested in the influences of

governmental power on society and in how social conflicts arise from the
distribution of power.
• Sociologists also examine how the use of power affects local, state,
national, and global agendas, which in turn affect people differently
based on status, class, and socioeconomic standing.
Power
• The concept of power can have decidedly negative connotations, and the term
itself is difficult to define.

• Many scholars adopt the definition developed by German sociologist Max Weber,
who said that power is the ability to exercise one’s will over others (Weber 1922).

• Power affects more than personal relationships; it shapes larger dynamics like
social groups, professional organizations, and governments.
• Similarly, a government’s power is not necessarily limited to control of its own
citizens. A dominant nation, for instance, will often use its clout to influence or
support other governments or to seize control of other nation states.
Types of Authority
• Authority refers to accepted power—that is, power that people agree
to follow.

• People listen to authority figures because they feel that these

individuals are worthy of respect.

• Generally speaking, people perceive the objectives and demands of

an authority figure as reasonable and beneficial, or true.
Types of authority
• Not all authority figures are police officers, elected officials or
government authorities. Besides formal offices, authority can arise
from tradition and personal qualities.

• Economist and sociologist Max Weber realized this when he examined

individual action as it relates to authority, as well as large-scale
structures of authority and how they relate to a society’s economy.
• Based on this work, Weber developed a classification system for
authority. His three types of authority are traditional authority,
charismatic authority and legal-rational authority (Weber 1922).
Traditional Authority
• Traditional Authority
• According to Weber, the power of traditional authority is accepted
because that has traditionally been the case; its legitimacy exists
because it has been accepted for a long time.
• Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, for instance, occupies a position that she
inherited based on the traditional rules of succession for the monarchy.
• People adhere to traditional authority because they are invested in the
past and feel obligated to perpetuate it. In this type of authority, a ruler
typically has no real force to carry out his will or maintain his position
but depends primarily on a group’s respect.
Traditional Authority
• A more modern form of traditional authority is patrimonialism, which
is traditional domination facilitated by an administration and military
that are purely personal instruments of the master (Eisenberg 1998).
In this form of authority, all officials are personal favorites appointed
by the ruler.
• These officials have no rights, and their privileges can be increased or
withdrawn based on the caprices of the leader.
• The political organization of ancient Egypt typified such a system:
when the royal household decreed that a pyramid be built, every
Egyptian was forced to work toward its construction.
Traditional Authority
• Traditional authority can be intertwined with race, class, and gender.
In most societies, for instance, men are more likely to be privileged
than women and thus are more likely to hold roles of authority.
• Similarly, members of dominant racial groups or upper-class families
also win respect more readily. In the United States, the Kennedy
family, which has produced many prominent politicians, exemplifies
this model.
Charismatic Authority
• Charismatic Authority
• Followers accept the power of charismatic authority because they
are drawn to the leader’s personal qualities. The appeal of a
charismatic leader can be extraordinary, and can inspire followers to
make unusual sacrifices or to persevere in the midst of great hardship
and persecution.
• Charismatic leaders usually emerge in times of crisis and offer
innovative or radical solutions. They may even offer a vision of a new
world order. Hitler’s rise to power in the postwar economic
depression of Germany is an example.
Charismatic Authority
• Charismatic leaders tend to hold power for short durations, and
according to Weber, they are just as likely to be tyrannical as they are
heroic. Diverse male leaders such as Hitler, Napoleon, Jesus Christ,
César Chávez, Malcolm X, and Winston Churchill are all considered
charismatic leaders.
• Because so few women have held dynamic positions of leadership
throughout history, the list of charismatic female leaders is
comparatively short.
• Many historians consider figures such as Joan of Arc, Margaret
Thatcher, and Mother Teresa to be charismatic leaders.
Rational Legal Authority
• Rational-Legal Authority
• According to Weber, power made legitimate by laws, written rules,
and regulations is termed rational-legal authority.
• In this type of authority, power is vested in a particular rationale,
system, or ideology and not necessarily in the person who
implements the specifics of that doctrine.
• A nation that follows a constitution applies this type of authority. On a
smaller scale, you might encounter rational-legal authority in the
workplace via the standards set forth in the employee handbook,
which provides a different type of authority than that of your boss.
Rational Legal Authority
• Of course, ideals are seldom replicated in the real world. Few
governments or leaders can be neatly categorized. Some leaders, like
Mohandas Gandhi for instance, can be considered
charismatic and legal-rational authority figures.

• Similarly, a leader or government can start out exemplifying one type

of authority and gradually evolve or change into another type.
Bureaucracy or Bureaucratic Theory
• At the end of the 19th century, it was German sociologist and author
of The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1905), Max Weber
who was the first to use and describe the term bureaucracy.
• This is also known as the bureaucratic theory of
management, bureaucratic management theory or the Max Weber
theory. He believed bureaucracy was the most efficient way to set up
an organisation, administration and organizations.
• Max Weber believed that Bureaucracy was a better than traditional
structures. In a bureaucratic organisation, everyone is treated equal
and the division of labour is clearly described for each employee.
Bureaucracy
• “Bureaucracy is an organisational structure that is characterised by
many rules, standardised processes, procedures and requirements,
number of desks, meticulous division of labour and responsibility,
clear hierarchies and professional, almost impersonal interactions
between employees”.
• According to the bureaucratic theory of Max Weber, such a structure
was indispensable in large organizations in structurally performing all
tasks by a great number of employees.
• In addition, in a bureaucratic organisation, selection and promotion
only occur on the basis of technical qualifications.
Bureaucracy
• According to the bureaucratic theory of Max Weber, three types of
power can be found in organizations; traditional power, charismatic
power and legal power.
• He refers in his bureaucratic theory to the latter as a bureaucracy. All
aspects of a democracy are organised on the basis of rules and laws,
making the principle of established jurisdiction prevail.
• The following three elements support bureaucratic management:
• All regular activities within a bureaucracy can be regarded as official duties;
• Management has the authority to impose rules;
• Rules can easily be respected on the basis of established methods.
Bureaucracy
• According to the bureaucratic theory of Max Weber, bureaucracy is
the basis for the systematic formation of any organisation and is
designed to ensure efficiency and economic effectiveness.
• It is an ideal model for management and its administration to bring an
organisation’s power structure into focus. With these observations, he
lays down the basic principles of bureaucracy and emphasises the
division of labour, hierarchy, rules and impersonal relationship.
Max Weber’s bureaucratic management
principles
• Below is a more detailed explanation of the 6 bureaucratic
management principles:
Task specialisation
• Tasks are divided into simple, routine categories on the basis of competencies
and functional specialisations.
• Every employee is responsible for what he/she does best and knows exactly what
is expected of him/her. By dividing work on the basis of specialisation, the
organisation directly benefits. Each department has specific powers.
• As a result, there is a delineation of tasks and managers can approach their
employees more easily when they do not stick to their tasks. Every employee
knows exactly what is expected of him/ her and what his/ her powers are within
the organisation.
• Every employee has a specific place within the organisation and is expected to
solely focus on his/ her area of expertise. Going beyond your responsibilities and
taking on tasks of colleagues is not permitted within a bureaucracy.
Hierarchical of authority
• Managers are organised into hierarchical layers, where each layer of
management is responsible for its staff and overall performance. In
bureaucratic organizational structures, there are many hierarchical positions.
This is essentially the trademark and foundation of a bureaucracy.
• The hierarchy of authority is a system in which different positions are related
in order of precedence and in which the highest rung on the ladder has the
greatest power. The bottom layers of bureaucratic organizational structures
are always subject to supervision and control of higher layers.
• This hierarchy reflects lines of bureaucratic communication and the degree of
delegation and clearly lays out how powers and responsibilities are divided.
Formal selection
• All employees are selected on the basis of technical skills and
competences, which have been acquired through training, education
and experience.
• One of the basic principles is that employees are paid for their
services and that level of their salary is dependent on their position.
• Their contract terms are determined by organisational rules and
requirements and the employee has no ownership interest in the
company.
Rules and requirements
• Formal rules and requirements are required to ensure uniformity, so
that employees know exactly what is expected of them. In this sense,
the rules and requirements can be considered predictable.
• All administrative processes are defined in the official rules. By
enforcing strict rules, the organisation can more easily achieve
uniformity and all employee efforts can be better coordinated.
• The rules and requirements are more or less stable and always
formalised in so-called official reports. Should new rules and
requirements be introduced, then senior management or directors
are responsible for this.
Impersonal
• Regulations and clear requirements create distant and impersonal
relationships between employees, with the additional advantage of
preventing nepotism or involvement from outsiders or politics.
• These impersonal relationship are a prominent feature of
bureaucracies. Interpersonal relationships are solely characterised by
a system of public law and rules and requirements.
• Official views are free from any personal involvement, emotions and
feelings. Decisions are solely made on the basis of rational factors,
rather than personal factors.
Career orientation
• Employees of a bureaucratic organisation are selected on the basis of
their expertise. This helps in the deployment of the right people in the
right positions and thereby optimally utilising human capital.
• In a bureaucracy, it is possible to build a career on the basis of
experience and expertise. As a result, it offers lifetime employment.
• The right division of labour within a bureaucratic organisation also
allows employees to specialise themselves further, so that they may
become experts in their own field and significantly improve their
performance.
Advantages and disadvantages of the
Bureaucratic Theory
• Advantages
• Generally speaking, the term bureaucracy has a negative connotation and
is often linked to government agencies and large organisations.
Nevertheless, the great benefit of a bureacracy is that large organisations
with many hierarchical layers can become structured and work
effectively. It is precisely the established rules and procedures that allows
for high efficiency and consistent execution of work by all employees.
• All this makes it easier for management to maintain control and make
adjustments when necessary. Bureaucracy is especially inevitable in
organisations where legislation plays an important role in delivering a
consistent output.
Advantages and disadvantages of the
Bureaucratic Theory
• Disadvantages
• Bureaucracy is characterised by a large amount of red tape, paperwork, many
desks, certain office culture and slow bureaucratic communication due to its
many hierarchical layers. This is the system’s biggest disadvantage of a
bureaucratic organization. It is also unfortunate that employees remain fairly
distanced from each other and the organisation, making them less loyal.
• Bureaucracy is also extremely dependent on regulatory and policy
compliance. This restricts employees to come up with innovative ideas,
making them feel like just a number instead of an individual. Later research
(the human relations theory) demonstrated that employees appreciate
attention and want to have a voice in decision making.