Advantages of bureaucracy by Max Weber after discussing Advantages and disadvantages of bureaucracy. Importance of bureaucracy in public administration which is a system of administration. Bureaucracy refers to a government or a process that deals with a modern corporate structure. The bureaucratic system is defined by specific main features addressed to governmental structures only which enhance efficiency.
Bureaucracy also introduces rules that delegate authority of the management distinguishing top and lower management to improve efficiency that’s one of the major importance of bureaucracy in an organization. Bureaucracy increasingly demands people working as bureaucrats to be highly disciplined and abide by the rules, upholding ethical values.
Advantages of bureaucracy by Max Weber
Most people either work in a bureaucracy or encounter one every day. If your work is supervised by another person, that is a bureaucratic structure.
1. Running of Administration duties:
To run the day to day administration in accordance with the policies, laws, rules, regulations and decisions of the government is also the key responsibility of the Bureaucracy. The political executive simply exercises guiding public functions, hence bureaucracy is very important for controlling and supervising functions.
2. Division of labor:
Makes work easier; leads to specialization. One can not discuss the advantages and disadvantages of bureaucracy without discussing the need for division of labor. Organization charts show and ensure efficient flow of information in an organization and such as helping employees know who report, depend on division of labor so people get to know each other across the organization.
3. Efficiency:
Competency increases; work is efficiently performed under the supervision of immediate managers in the hierarchy. Efficiency is the ability to avoid wasting materials, energy, effort, money, and time in doing something or in producing the desired result. In a more general sense, it is the ability to do things well, successfully, and without waste.
4. Accountability and answerability:
Common citizens can hold government officials and bureaucrats accountable for the actions performed by them in the course of dispensing their duties. The organization is answerable in case something goes wrong.
5. Decision-making:
Decisions are generally handed over to the employees by their immediate managers, and to the managers by the ones above them in the hierarchy.
6. Rules and regulations:
The set of rules and regulations that are clearly stated in most cases makes obedience to them a prerequisite in the bureaucratic structure, thereby reducing the scope of non-adherence to the framework of rules and protocols.
7. Efficiency in administration:
Makes administration easier; the organization is more rationally arranged in a structural hierarchy. In a bureaucratic structure, maintaining control of the management, making necessary adjustments as and when required, and the introduction of a new set of rules, as per requirements from time to time, are easier owing to the large size of the organization.
8. Role in Legislative Work:
Civil servants play an important but indirect role in law-making. They draft the bills that the ministers submit to the legislature for law-making. The ministers provide all the information asked for by the legislature by taking the help of the civil servants.
9. Role in Public Relations:
The era of the modern welfare state and democratic politics has made it essential for the government to keep close relations with the people of the state. The need for maintaining active and full public relations is a vital necessity for every state. Civil servants play an active role in this sphere.
They are the main agents who establish direct contact with the people. They serve as a two-way link. On the one hand, they communicate all government decisions to the people, and on the other hand, they communicate to the government the needs, interests, and views of the people. Thus, Bureaucracy plays a vigorously active and highly important role in the working of the government.
10. Collection of Government Taxes:
Civil servants play a vitally important role in financial administration. They advise the political executive in respect of all financial planning, tax structure, tax administration, and the like. They collect taxes and settle disputes involving the recovery of taxes. They play a vital role in preparing the budget and taxation proposals. Advantages of bureaucracy by Max Weber and the disadvantages of bureaucracy, its that they carry out the function of granting legally sanctioned financial benefits, tax reliefs, subsidies, and other concessions to the people.