Bureaucracy is defined as, "a large-scale organization composed of a hierarchy of offices" (Ritzer, 2004, 24). Weber studied bureaucracy in a broader scope called rationalization. There are four reasons bureaucracies work. McDonalds is a great example of how a bureaucracy works. First, it is efficient. Second, quantification is a priority meaning productivity can be measured. Next, a bureaucracy is very predictable since the work is regulated (manuals are written to cover all the information one would need to perform a certain job or function) and outcomes are predictable. Finally, bureaucracy takes away the likelihood of human error since there is not an option for innovation, which is deviant. "...people begin to resemble human robots" (Ritzer, 2004, 27). The text states that in some cases a bureaucracy works well and is rational. What we see today is the crumbling of bureaucracies because they have grown too large and are sometimes inefficient.
George Ritzer
The gnarled branches of a majestic old oak tree, Q...
Sign for City of Thousand Oaks, California, USAAlso, quality does not count as much as quantity which leads to further inefficiencies.
Ritzer, George. The McDonaldization of Society-Rev. new century ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2004