Taylor, Weber and the

Bureaucratisation of the
Workplace
Introduction

 Taylorism was the most conscious of the

systematization of management, and the
regulation and control of production.
Principles
 Taylorism is concerned with the control of labour
process.

 Basic management principles

 Developing a science for each element of work.
 Scientific selection and training of worker.
 Co-operation between management and workers to
ensure that the work is done according to the
science.
 Equal division of work and responsibility between
management and workers; each side doing what it is
best for.
Ideology and Practice
 Extensive work measurement to pre-determine
task;
 The employment of cheaper, deskilled and
substitutable labour in more fragmented jobs,
 A large increase in the number of non-
productive employees to enforce, monitor and
record new work arrangements and functional
foremanship that subdivided traditional
responsibilities
 Involved reporting to the-all powerful planning
department.
Weber and Administrative Theories
of Management
 Taylor provided a system of detailed
control over work, aided by a set of
bureaucratic rules

 Weber focuses more on the remote and

impersonal qualities of a bureaucracy.
The Employment Relationship

 The office is a vocation and a full time undertaking.

 Officials are selected on a basis of technical qualification,
education and expertise.
 There is separation of office and office holder
 It is not his or her property and the employee does not possess
the ,means of administration.
 Thorough and expert training is part of the conditions of
employment.
 Work is rewarded by a regular salary and prospects of
advancement in a lifetime career.
 A career is based on the organisational hierarchy. Officials are
selected by higher authorities and are not externally elected.
Work Structures and Relations
 Hierarchy of offices.
 Division of labour based on defined
responsibilities, rights and duties.
 Calculable rules and regulations,
impersonal modes of conduct and a
common control system govern the
conduct of work.
 Written documentation functions as a
function of management of the office.
The Rise of Bureaucratisation
Control and its Contradictions
 As bureaucracy developed within companies,
companies adopted hierarchy structures that divide
and conquer.
 Long term identification with the company can be built
through positive incentives such as job security and
career structure.
 As the work processes, outputs and skills becomes
more standardised, behaviour can be formalised and
regulated.
 Bureaucratic organisations not only benefit the
management but also the employees as their pay and
benefits structures become more well defined.
The Rise of Bureaucratisation
Control and its Contradictions
 However certain shortcomings of Weber's
bureaucratic system is that the standardisation
and predictability could lead to the employees
adopting a rigid and defensive behaviour.
 Resistance to innovation is one of the possible
consequences.
 Sometimes, employees could bend or break
certain rules in order to get things done more
effectively since rationality still exists.
Scientific Management and
Bureaucratic Work Rules
 Taylorism and bureaucracy though
sharply disputed, have nonetheless
shaped the modern practices and
society.
 Many companies and organisations
have incorporated Taylorist methods in
one form or the other where rules are
most often the heart of the process.
Strength of Taylorist and
Bureaucratic Systems
 Increase efficiency of production
 Motivation by Self Interest
 Employee Awareness
 Greater Efficiency and Standardisation
 Better Control
Weaknesses of Taylorist and
Bureaucratic Systems
 Poor relationship between management
and employees
 Create a gulf in communication between
management and employees
 Destroys the informal relationship within
groups
 Creates contradictions
Conclusion
 Taylorism and Bureaucracy have influenced
the workings of modern organisations deeply.
 Different organisations might have different
versions of Taylorism but the basic principles
employed are more or less the same.
 Both Taylorism and bureaucracy failed to
address the human and social aspects of the
work structures.
THE END