Max Weber
“Bureaucracy”
Chip Sawyer
PA 302
February 6, 2006
Max Weber, 1864-1920
His Work
 German political economist and sociologist
 Rationalism in the sociology of religion and
government
 Vast majority of works not translated into
English until after his death
Source: Wikipedia.org, retrieved Feb. 2006
Max Weber
His Worldview
 A social liberal
 nationalism based on classical republicanism
 capitalism where workers are educated and given
political responsibility
 Disliked nobility and monarchy
 Generally supportive of German Imperialism
in WWI
Source: Wikipedia.org, retrieved Feb. 2006
Weber on Bureaucracy
 An objective description
 or is it...?
 Discusses basic elements and principles
Bureaucracy







Hierarchy
Division of Labor
Consistency
Qualification
Professional–Private Separation
Devotion to Purpose
Advancement / Seniority
 Authority and
its flow
Hierarchy
 subordination
Highest Office
High Office
High Office
 “Such a system
offers the
governed the
possibility of
appealing the
decision of a lower
office to its higher
authority” (p. 50).
Low Office
Low Office
Low Office
Lowest Office
Lowest Office
Lowest Office
Lowest Office
Division of Labor
Executive
Policy &
Planning
Operations
Strategic
Planning
Policy
Development
Regional
Management
Special
Projects
Legislative
Relations
Office Staffing
 Specialization
 Separation of
roles and
duties
 “’higher’
authority [is not]
authorized to take
over the business
of the ‘lower’”
(p. 50).
Maintenance
 Rules
regulate all
matters
“abstractly.”
Consistency
Not Special
Not Special
 i.e. no one is
special
Not Special
Not Special
Not Special
Not Special
Not Special
Not Special
Not Special
 Management
 Duties
 The “Governed”
Not Special
 Training and
qualification is
the number
one requisite.
Qualification
PhD
Master’s
Master’s
Bachelor’s
Bachelor’s
Bachelor’s
Associate’s
Associate’s
Associate’s
 How to
manage
 How to carry
out duties
 Knowledge of
the rules
Associate’s
Separation of Professional &
Private
 The bureau
Orders filtering
of web surfing
Always makes
personal calls on
personal cell phone
Loves work as a
break from the
family
I certainly DID NOT
use my office’s
copier to print these
notes for you
Loves being
able to leave
work at home
Wouldn’t even
THINK of
stealing pens
Never uses
photocopier for
own tax forms
Glad s/he doesn’t
have to live in this
cubicle
Treats company car
much better than
personal POS
is separate
from the
“private
domicile of
the official”
(p. 51).
 resources
 time
Wouldn’t even
THINK of stealing
rubber cleaning
gloves
Devotion to Purpose/Duty
Devoted to
Bureau
Management
Devoted to
Division
Management
Devoted to
Division
Management
Devoted to
Planning
Devoted to
Policy
Devoted to
Region
Devoted to
Project
Devoted to
Schmoozing
Devoted to
Office
 Devotion is to
your work and
role, not to
person above
you.
 “[official] is not
considered the
personal servant of a
ruler” (p. 52).
Devoted to
Toilets
Advancement and Seniority

Promoted here
6 months ago
1. you hang
around
2. you climb
the ladder
3. you get taken
care of
(and don’t know what the
Hell I’m doing)
Promoted
here 7 years
ago
Promoted
here 17 years
ago
The unspoken
agreement...

Salary and
Pension
Started here
25 years ago
The Contribution of Max Weber
 Championed antipositivism in sociology and study
of public administration.
 ...but we won’t get into that.
 Laid the descriptive groundwork for bureaucracy
 and the position/role of the state in government, politics
and people’s lives
 Ever since then, public administration has studied
what actually happens when you stick human beings
into a bureaucracy.
So what’s wrong with this picture?
Political
Appointee
I’m WAY too
qualified for
this
YOU’RE
FIRING ME?!
I’m in love with
my manager
I’m Being
MicroManaged
I REALLY like
this pen
I work at
home
I’m having a bad
day. The next client
who calls me is dead
meat.
Who do you
think REALLY
runs this office?
I REALLY like
these rubber
cleaning gloves