Bureaucracy

In its broadest sense, bureaucracy means domination through the expertise of the official. A bureaucracy is an organization formally established to fulfill its ends through the determination of the means to guarantee the highest administrative efficiency. Its legitimacy rests on the technical knowledge and the observation of the rules legally set forth that guide its action. It is a machine based on accuracy, calculation, continuity, discipline, rigor, and confidence, which guarantee a stable and certain social order.

The origin of the concept can be traced in the texts of Vincent Gournay and G. W. F. Hegel, which referred to the power of civil servants to service the monarchy. Later, social thinkers like Karl Marx, Ferdinand Tonnies, Emile Durkheim, and Robert Michels analyzed through different approaches the impact of the bureaucratic organization on economic activity and the power structure of modern society. However, Max Weber offers a complete theoretical formulation because, in his intention to understand and characterize the progressive transformation of [Page 196]Western civilization, he noted the technical superiority of bureaucracy and its consequences.

Attributes

Weber described bureaucracy as the most rational way to exercise domination, because it has certain attributes that are not appreciated in social communities organized around charisma or tradition. The bureaucratic organization is based on the distribution of work and responsibilities, so that the competencies of the officials are precisely defined and are articulated through a hierarchical order in which relations of authority are clearly defined. Each officer complies with the administrative tasks assigned by laws and regulations, and does it with discipline, loyalty, and obedience.

In addition, each position is linked to specific technical qualities, so it can be occupied by anyone who meets the requirements. Bureaucratic work is a remunerated and continuous full-time occupation that enables the realization of a career based on promotion considering expertise and merit. The development of the monetary economy facilitated payment in money to the modern official and the establishment of a tax system allowing the collection of funds to sustain the costs of bureaucratic activities of the state. Accordingly, this model assumes the separation of public service and private life, and distinguishes public property of the heritage of the individuals.

Finally, bureaucracy is associated with modern management techniques based on the documentation and written record of each action, giving rise to the collection, classification, and storage of files. In addition, because bureaucracy operates according to clearly defined general rules, it treats each case avoiding arbitrariness and favoritism.

However, the current operation of bureaucracy does not correspond to the ideal attributes. Robert K. Merton pointed out the relevance of analyzing the tensions produced between the formal structure and the real behavior of officials, which gives rise to phenomena such as trained incapacity, occupational psychosis, and professional deformation of officials. The examination of the dysfunctions inherent to the rational model of bureaucracy shows the ritualism produced by the excessive adherence to formalized procedures; the distortion of information produced by hierarchy, centralization, and specialization; the inhibition of initiative and creativity because of the rigid respect of rules; and the hostility and indifference produced by impersonal treatment based on the record.

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