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The German Sociologist Max Weber's Theory Of Bureaucracy

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The German sociologist Max Weber studied the bureaucratisation of society. His critical study became one of the most enduring parts of his work. It was Weber who began the studies of bureaucracy and whose works led to the popularization of this term. According to Max Weber, bureaucracy is defined as any system of administration conducted by trained professionals according to fixed rules. Bureaucracy is a type of business structure popular among governments and public administrations. A bureaucratic organization was originally intended to have a hierarchical or pyramidal structure to help achieve the most rational and efficient operation at the lowest cost. The term bureaucracy is a combination of French and Greek words respectively. The word ‘bureau’ means desk or office and the word ‘kratos’ means rule or political power. It was first used by the French economist Jacques Claudes Marie Vincent de Gournay.

In order to study the origins and nature of the expansion of bureaucratic organization, weber constructed an ideal type of Bureaucracy. Ideal refers to the pure form of bureaucratic organization. Weber explained bureaucracy by laying and explaining its characteristics in modern society;

• An organization has a clear cut hierarchy of authority; a chain of command. They have laid down specific roles and responsibilities which have to be fulfilled. A bureaucracy looks like a pyramid, with the position of the highest authority at the top. A lot of times the persons at the
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