Bureaucracy

cabaret

Can someone in one or two sentences please explain to me what "Bureaucracy" is?

Simple terms now, can't for the life of me grasp it in one sentence.

I know it's based on "red tape"...

Anyone?

noxqs

It's in the first 2 lines of wikipedia.

No, no, don't get up from your chair.

Here:

The purpose of a bureaucracy is to successfully implement the actions of an organization of any size (but often associated with large entities such as government, corporations, and non-governmental organizations), in achieving its purpose and mission, and the bureaucracy is tasked to determine how it can achieve its purpose and mission with the greatest possible efficiency and at the least cost of any resources.[1]

hatrickpatrick

When something which should be simple, easy, and stress free is made overly complex by pointless and useless clerical stuff (forms, procedures, etc)

An example of bureaucracy: The Garda Age Card.

Rather than filling out a form in a Garda station and sending it to the age card office, or filling out a form online, here is what you have to do:

1: Fill out the form online
2: Pay for the application online
3: WAIT for the form to be POSTED to you, completed
4: Bring the form to the Garda station with a passport and other form of ID, and a photo
5: Get the photo signed by the Gards and sent off
6: Wait for them to send you your card.

Spot the unnecessary crap there?

Points 1-3 could be avoided if you simply picked up the form and filled it out in the Garda station and got it signed and stamped there and then.
Points 3-5 could be avoided if the entire process took place online.
Point 3 could be avoided it they allowed you to print out the form rather than posting it out to you.

And the key defining factor of bureaucracy: There is absolutely NO logical justification for the complexity. None. No rational explanation can explain why there should be so many steps involved in what should be an incredibly simple task.

Sand

Really?

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bureaucracy

bu·reauc·ra·cy
   [byoo-rok-ruh-see] Show IPA
noun, plural -cies.
1.
government by many bureaus, administrators, and petty officials.
2.
the body of officials and administrators, especially of a government or government department.
3.
excessive multiplication of, and concentration of power in, administrative bureaus or administrators.
4.
administration characterized by excessive red tape and routine.

noxqs

That is not bureaucracy though - that's just inefficiency brought about by incompetence at all levels of the organization up to and including politicians.
Politicians passing laws without any idea how they should be implemented. For example I am sure there is a legal reason the form has to be signed in person and not digitally. And so on.

Good intentions but lacking legal framework which in turn means you get these weird 'high-tech low-tech' hybrid schemes.


Edit: In regards to hatrickpatricks post.

P.S:

Found some hints:

http://www.wired.com/politics/law/news/2000/07/37489

This is 11 years ago - what happened to this electronic signature system for online signing of forms and interacting with the government ?

Suryavarman

Bureaucracy was a management theory put forward by sociologist Max Weber. It consists of being organised in a hierarchical manner. It also sets down strict rules and guidelines for doing things.

It's commonly used to refer to the way Government is structured. Due to Governments generally being inefficient, bureaucracy generally has a negative reputation.

An example of it in practice would be in a school. A teacher has a set curriculum to teach and has to teach it in a set manner. This is often examined by school inspectors. Decisions might have to be run through the principal-board of management-VEC-Department of Education-Minister for Education-Taoiseach.

As you can see individuals might have little autonomy in decision making and much must be double checked. The plus side would be that people can't do things that don't suit a companies way of doing things which would be detrimental to a companies reputation.

hatrickpatrick

noxqs wrote: »

For example I am sure there is a legal reason the form has to be signed in person and not digitally.

I can understand that, but why the postal aspect?
Why not let me print off the form and bring it to the Gards for approval?
Why not skip the electronic part altogether and simply let me fill out the form IN the Garda station and have it signed and sent off there and then?

Why have TWO postal waiting periods instead of one?

for the life of me I cannot understand this.

View

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

Why have TWO postal waiting periods instead of one?

Generating business for An Post perhaps? Just be glad they didn't make it three or more postal waiting times....

RichardAnd

In it's literal sense, bureaucracy is simply the carrying out of actions pertaining to the goal of an organisation. However, the word has acquired negative connotations in that it is often associated with needlessly complex and or, spurious paper work. To call someone a bureaucrat is generally taken to mean that they are overtly concerned with minuet aspects of contracts and other such paper work to the extent that they are seen to stymie more palpable tasks.

Peanut

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