Studying The Bureaucratic Arrangements

Introduction

This research paper will serve to explain what a bureaucratic organization is and the manner in which they operate as well as their distinctive characteristics. In addition to that, main principles of bureaucratic organization will be discussed and compared to other organizations (Dessler, 2012). This is an organization that differs from agile organizations and therefore a clear definition of an agile organization and its characteristics will also be provided in this research paper. There are several steps that involved in the process of management based on objectives which will also be highlighted in this research paper. Advantages and disadvantages of these organizations will be provided with a critical analysis at which model best serves the interest of the management and staff.

Bureaucratic organization

A bureaucratic organization is one that has tight rules and procedures about the manner in which things are supposed to be done and what employees are supposed to do (Drucker, 2004). The management of the company acts with stringent control of the way things that are being done and which approach can be taken to accomplish a certain mission. It is an organization that is too reluctant to embrace change that comes with factors such as technology among other things.

Roles are clearly defined and the manner in which each department is supposed to go about its duties is well structured. They are led by people who understand procedures well and are quick to stick to what has to be done by an organization. There are so many things that have been laid down and procedures have to be revisited again and again just to ensure that things are being done in the right manner. They are organizations that have unique characteristics.

Characteristics of bureaucratic organization:

• Members of the organization are always assigned responsibilities which they are supposed to accomplish and also the procedure that they have to follow all through to ensure that they succeed.
• Those who need the authority to accomplish a certain task are always given but there is need to understand that these organizations give authority to the position one is in and not the individual.
• There is strict adherence to documentation of all procedures that have been set out and the best way in which an organization should be able to go about them.
• Managers of these organizations devote much of their time to ensuring that they have done the right thing and they are minimizing risks for the organization.

Principles of bureaucratic organization

Crime control seems to be the main objective of such organization because they have a strict way of ensuring that the right procedure has been followed. The command structure in this type of an organization is always centralized and power accumulated in a way that promotes control over all other aspects of an organization. There is division of labor which finally leads to specialization as a way of increasing the experience of those who are working for the organization. There are so many things that happen in such organizations including regular training of employees and an appraisal program that is aimed at monitoring their performance. It can be a method that can be applied by criminal justice officers in taking control of ther respective departments.

Agile organization

An agile organization is one which is flexible and considers the needs of employees in a manner that is not that strict (DuBrin& Ireland, 2013). It has a mission that is specific in nature and therefore things are done in a way that ensures that there is transparency and accountability. Employees have an opportunity to ensure that they have utilized the information that is given to them in order to assist the organization achieve goals that it has set out. Leaders are ever willing to set aside laid down procedures so as to ensure that they have worked out ways of having things done in a manner that is favorable.

Characteristics of agile organization

They are very competitive because they go on rebranding from time to time to ensure that they have met the necessary requirements as far as the market is concerned. The centralized nature and complexity that comes with most organizations is not evident at all in this particular organization (Sisk & Williams, 2005).There is a clear vision of what actually needs to be done in order to achieve goals that have been set out in an organization and thereafter ensure that several objectives have been met as far as organizational goals are concerned. The role that is played by an organization is to ensure that employees have what they want in order to achieve all these goals and they are listened to by the management whenever they have something that is valuable and adds to the success of the organization.

Steps of management by objective

The following are steps of management by objective (MBO)

1. Identify an objective
2. Use facts that are collected
3. Determine the cause and problem
4. Create some options and work on solution
5. Screen options and create decisions
6. Enhance the security
7. Get agreement or solution
8. Try the decided solution
9. Maintain measurement of success and failure.

Advantages and disadvantages of bureaucratic and agile organization

Advantages of bureaucratic organization is exclusion of politics that might affect its performance while at the same time ensuring that the stability of the organization has been maintained at all times. It is also a methodology that other other hand minimizes ambiguity that might come with organization operations and therefore adoption is beneficial to employees too. On the other hand, bureaucratic organizations are disadvantageous in a number of ways.

Employees are likely to feel a machine like atmosphere surrounding them and therefore feel less in control which might affect the way they are performing in the organization. In addition to that, opportunities for growth are limited and there is not avenue where they can be able to successfully express themselves. There is also little support that is accorded to members of the management team in terms of decision making and implementation.

Agile organizations have an advantage when it comes to pooling information and ensuring that things are done in the best way possible and this is through sharing of ideas which characterizes this particular organization. The social arousal that comes with involvement of different people in the process of doing things is a major step in ensuring that the organization has made a major step when it comes to the success of individuals at a personal level. One disadvantage of agile organizations is the manner in which they come with social pressure and also the need for people to participate in a process that they might not be too familiar with. Time is also a factor because too much clarification have to be done in such organizations before being able to reach the final decision.