Weber's Theory Discussion Assignment
Bureaucracy is purely positive model of organization for Weber. He claimed that this approach allows gaining rationality and dealing with complex tasks in our post-industrial world. His Organizational theory means that people should act according to rules and their competencies instead of personal values and jugments. It can be compared with the system of social stratification, because individuals have to remain within their social group, strata, as well as workers in bureaucratic system should keep up with their cell (do not exceed their duties). Thereby, the division of labor, firm discipline, hierarchy and featureless construction are most important aspects of Weber’s theory.
Police as organization always face with different dillemas. For instance, the question regarding exceeding the powers can arise in both cases: when a policeman exceeds them and when he does not do it even if it could stop a criminal. The first scenario usually causes a big stir (at least in the USA because American police has broad powers), an a policeman could even be suspended from the work for a long period. Nevertheless, it is often hard to understand who is right because police suffers from a lot of pressure of media and citizens and they will benefit from the suspension. This is a glaring example of how Weber’s Organizational theory apply to the police as a very important social instutition: risks and costs are high for it, so it is better and more effective to rely on rules and solve the issue quickly instead of ignoring them or trying to consider each case individually.
Another important aspect of Weberian theory is that he acknowledged that a small number of rulers can lead to the organization’s degradation from bureaucracy to oligarchy. This also should be linked to the police as the organization because a large number of high-qualified leaders is useful here. They may have slightly different powers, but also the ability of group problem-solving and change each other if needed.
Works Cited
An Article in a Scholarly Journal Meyer, Heinz-Dieter. "Organizational Environments And Organizational Discourse: Bureaucracy Between Two Worlds". Organization Science 6.1 (1995): …
