Bureaucracy is an important that defines organizations and institutions government through structured rules and regulations to promote efficiency, effectiveness. According to Max Weber Bureaucracy has 6 principals include; fairness, recruitment on merit, division of labor, chain of command, uniform rules, specialization and working procedures. Read this article, to know characteristics of Bureaucracies. Find examples of a bureaucratic organization and popular types of bureaucratic organizations in this article.
Modern examples of bureaucracy organizations have similar, types of bureaucratic organizations and examples of a bureaucratic organization structure. We explain main 10 examples of Bureaucratic organizations of Bureaucracy is an organization that is complex with multilayered systems, procedures, principles and processes. The main purpose of such systems is maintaining uniformity and control within an organization. A bureaucracy describes the established methods in large organizations or governments.
The command structure of a in a bureaucratic organization takes the form of a pyramid and it is very organized with a high degree of formality in the way it operates. Organizational charts generally exist for every department, and decisions are made through an organized process. A strict command and control structure is present at all times. Bureaucracies are meant to be orderly, fair and highly efficient.
10 Examples of a Bureaucratic Organization
In this article we look at top 10 types of burecratic organizations, Companies that use bureaucratic management, and Bureaucracy examples you must know. The main examples of bureaucracy organizations today include:
1. Government
The four key characteristics of bureaucracies are; a clear hierarchy, specialization, a division of labor, and a set of formal rules, or standard operating procedures. A typical government bureaucracy’s primary functions are to help the government run smoothly. It implements the laws and policies made by elected officials.
2. Colleges and Universities
College and University structures qualify as a very good example of a bureaucratic organization given they have many layers of management, cascading down from senior the Chancellor, Dean to faculty heads to departmental heads- all the way down to shift handymen. The complexity in structure of these institutions is a major characteristic found in all bureaucracies.
3. Police Departments
Police departments are also bureaucratic and here they follow orders from the higher ranks. Authority is centered at the top, and information generally flows from the top down. The Commissioner may introduce a new policy stating that all police officers can only leave their duty station after being cleared by a certain rank. The new policy will go from the desk of the Commissioner all the way down to the lowest rank.
4. Motor Vehicle Departments
Bureaucracies have extensive rules and clear lines of authority. A typical Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office has long queuesthat are slow-moving. This is because there is a lot of protocol to be followed in the day to day runnig od DMV related business.
5. The registrar’s office
The registrar’s office is one of the most complex bureaucracies you can think of. Despite them being responsible for the issuance of a multiplicity of public documents, there are many steps and offices to go through before acquiring just one document. For example to get a national identity card you go through various processes, from submitting copies of birth certificates to having your fingerprints scanned until you get to the point where the card is handed to you.
6. Fire Department
Some organizations have the liberty to choose whether the want to go with a bureaucratic structure or not but for some it is the only way things can be done in an orderly manner. Such is the case for fire departments. Mistakes do not really have room in these organizations so these bureaucratic characteristics curb them; A system of administration distinguished by its features (1) clear hierarchy of authority, (2) rigid division of labor, (3) written and inflexible rules, regulations, and procedures, and (4) impersonal relationships. Once instituted, bureaucracies are difficult to dislodge or change.
7. Health Institutions
Health institutions are a unique kind of bureaucracy which calls for certain measures that defy structure to save lives. Although the hospital has an administrative structure which is bureaucratic, the doctors retain considerable professional power and make decisions which are not determined by the professional administrative system.
8. Power Authorities
Electric power authorities are another bureaucracy. We can all agree these organizations can not afford to have a slopy structure given they are responsible for the country’s ectricity supply. All economy driving industries need to be well catered for in terms of power.
9. Correctional Facilities
Correctional facilities are another necessary bureaucracy, otherwise we would have criminals breaking out easily with a weakly regulated structure. Just like the police department, appointments and promotions of officers are formal because these officers will be held accountable.
10. Schools
Schools also fall under the bureaucracy bracket because authority is centered at the top which is where the principal/head teacher sits. In the case of government schools the structure is even more complex because the principal reports to other channels above him until it gets to the Minister.
In bureaucracies, rules and job responsibilities are written down and clearly stated and they are unable or unwilling to adapt to changing conditions quickly.