Visiting the Iron Cage: Bureaucracy and the Contemporary Workplace

Abstract

Bureaucracy as an organizational form has always been a controversial issue and placed at the very heart of most discussions within organizational theory. One side of this prolonged discussion praises this administrative form as the 'rational' way to run an organization. It provides needed guidance and clarifies responsibilities, which enables employees to become more efficient. However, the opposition claims that in a non-linear world, where industrial organizations are forced to confront the challenging task of sensing and responding to unpredictable, novel situations of highly competitive markets, such an organizational form stifles creativity, fosters de-motivation and causes pressure on employees. Dealing with a bureaucratic form of organization and its consequences begs for a context. It would be appropriate to quit 'taking sides' and develop a sound analysis of this phenomenon under the conditions of today's global workplace environment. This chapter intends to delineate the conditions under which bureaucracy has emerged and the way it has been interpreted since its inception and develop a sound and appropriate analytical approach to its functioning given the prevailing conditions of the contemporary workplace.

Iron Cage Birokrasi Pendidikan: Suatu Analisis Sosiologis

“…Oleh sebab itu, meski banyak kajian yang memuji birokrasi dalam bentuk administrasi sebagai cara 'rasional' untuk menjalankan suatu organisasi. Namun, ada pula yang menganggap birokrasi sebagai penghambat kreativitas, mendorong demotivasi dan menjadi penyebab tekanan pada individu dalam suatu organisasi (Yuksel, 2014).…”

“…Terdapat banyak kajian yang memuji birokrasi dalam bentuk administrasi sebagai cara rasional untuk menjalankan suatu organisasi. Namun, di sisi lain, ada pula yang menganggap birokrasi sebagai penghambat kreativitas, mendorong demotivasi dan menjadi penyebab tekanan pada individu dalam suatu organisasi (Yuksel, 2014). Birokrasi sering diartikan sebagai organisasi para pejabat yang tersusun secara hierarkis yang diangkat untuk melaksanakan tujuan-tujuan publik tertentu (Suwarno, 2008).…”

İş-Aile Yaşamında Dengeyi Bulma Çabaları: Ülke İncelemeleri

“…Harcanan çabanın sonuç verebilmesi elbette ki kesintisiz iletişimin mümkün olduğu elverişli bir örgütsel ortam sunan bürokrasilerin varlığını gerekli kılmaktadır. (Yüksel, 2014) Uzlaşmaya yönelik yasaların olmadığı, olsa da uygulanmadığı, işverenin tercihine bırakıldığı durumlarda ise mikro ve makro düzeyde sorunlar birbirine bağlı ortaya çıkmaktadır. Bu durumun önüne geçmek için pek çok uluslararası örgüt; ekonomik kalkınma, sosyal güvenlik, sosyal adaleti sağlamak ve beraberinde cinsiyet ayrımcılığını önlemek adına makro düzenlemeleri değerlendirmeye almaktadır.…”

From Bureauphobia to Bureaucognitio

“…Given the need for organic and fluid organizational structures, which are able to keep pace with increasingly turbulent environment, a neo-bureaucratic formation seems to be a sound approach (Yüksel, 2014). Bureaucognitio is a term coined in this paper with an attempt to address a neo-bureaucratic structure that embraces complexity thinking.…”