Benefits of bureaucracies

Benefits of bureaucracies

Bureaucracies refer to organization al structures that involve multiple levels of positions that have specific powers, tasks, and functions. ‘ In a typical bureaucracy, front liners or rank-and-file employees report to a supervisor of their specific units. ‘ At this level the operations of the company is hands-on and detailed. ‘ Going up the higher ranks are the managerial positions and the executive level which are basically in-charge of decision-making and control. ‘ Some experts believe that bureaucracies do not become effective in all types of industries but there are certain organizations that do well with this structure because of the following benefits:

1. Process standardization

Multiple layers of management is effective for organizations that want their processes to be strictly standardized. ‘ This is especially applicable for large companies that operate with multiple branches offering various products and services. ‘ For these companies, the only way to operate efficiently is to have different levels of positions to monitor operational activities if they conform to basic standards.

2. Process control

Bureaucratic structures also work well for organizations that want control over their processes and activities. ‘ With the multiple layers of management, roles and powers are well-defined and so each member of the organization structure basically know their roles, powers, and limitations.

3. Operational efficiency

Companies that are designed with a bureaucratic structure may also be functioning more efficiently in terms of operations. ‘ This is mainly due to standardization of certain processes and the control of various duties and limitations. ‘ Best practices for certain activities are also typically applied to bureaucracies and this leads to more efficiency.

Despite critics to the traditional setup of bureaucracies, many experts still believe that the benefits still outweigh the disadvantages. ‘ As for the same experts, bureaucratic organizations just need to exert more effort in terms of employee engagement to ensure that every member of the structure feels valued and happy.

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