CHAPTER 25

“ LIFE CYCLE OF BUREAUS”

 “The Life Cycle of Bureaus” examines the genesis,
growth, and death of bureaus. It looks at the ways
bureaus come into being, the dynamics of their growth,
and finally the deaths of bureaus.

 Bureaus came into being in four different ways:

1.  to implement the ideas of a charismatic leader
2. to carry out a specific function for which group
perceives a need
3. split from an existing bureaucracy
4. through an entrepreneurial spirit to implement an
entirely new policy.

 In the beginning, bureaus share three commonalities.

They are initially dominated by advocates or zealots,
they undergo an early phase of rapid growth, and they
must immediately seek sources of external support for
survival and autonomy.
 Once they have established autonomy, growth
dynamics come into play. There is dominance, which
means the traits of the dominant group are often
present in the character and behavior of the bureau
itself. The growth accelerator effect is based on the
idea that growth begets growth and the more the
agency does, the more it will be able to do and the
larger it will become. This is contrasted by the “brakes
on acceleration” dynamic. Competition, the challenge of
being a constant high performer, and conflicts among
 climbing members of the bureau all can halt a bureau’s
growth. A related, but not completely similar dynamic is
the decelerator effect. If following the expression “what
goes up must come down” this is the down side to a
bureau’s growth. This dynamic is not as stunting as the
brakes, though. Even when deceleration is present, it’s
still possible for an organization to grow out of this
phase. Another dynamic is qualitative growth. This
occurs when quality increases, but the size of the
organization does not 
 After explaining the dynamics of growth in an
organization, Downs explains why these bureaus seek
expansion. They include: to attract and retain the most
capable personnel, to provide leaders with increased
power, to reduce internal conflicts, to improve the
quality of performance, and to expend the resources
they possess. 
 As the organization grows and ages, changes occur.
They develop more formalized rules, which assist in
improving the performance for situations they’ve
already encounter. They can also cause goal
displacement and increase the bureau’s structural
complexity. This causes older bureaus to become far
more stable and inflexible than new bureaus. Other
changes include an increased number of administrative
officials, an increase in the number of functions carried
out, and mechanized production jobs. These effects are
consistent with the Law of Increasing Conservatism,
which states: “All organizations tend to become more
conservative as they get older, unless they experience
periods of very rapid growth or internal turnover.” 
 Bureaus eventually reach a growth plateau, and some
even outlive their purpose. Unlike other organizations,
though, bureaus don’t always die when their purpose
does. Sometimes they are saved by shifting functions to
take on something more viable. Other times their clients
advocate for their continued existence, their continued
existence is not opposed, or size alone keeps them
alive.