Which of the following describes an individual who works within a bureaucracy

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The term bureaucracy refers to a complex organization that has multilayered systems and processes. The systems and processes that are put in place effectively make decision-making slow. They are designed to maintain uniformity and control within the organization.

A bureaucracy describes the methods that are commonly established in governments and large organizations, such as corporations. A bureaucracy is pivotal in the administration of the entity's rules and regulations.

Key Takeaways

• The word bureaucracy implies a complex structure with multiple layers and procedures.
• The systems that are put in place under a bureaucracy make decision-making slow.
• Bureaucracies can render systems formal and rigid, which is needed when following safety procedures is critical.
• The term bureaucracy is often criticized and deemed negative because of the implication that procedures are more important than efficiency.
• The Glass-Steagall Act is a good example of effective bureaucracy in place in the United States.

How a Bureaucracy Works

The bureaucratic process lends itself to criticism and is synonymous with redundancy, arbitrariness, and inefficiency. People often use terms like bureaucrat, bureaucratic, and bureaucracy in a negative context. For instance, calling someone a bureaucrat implies they're a government official while the term bureaucratic implies that procedures are more important than efficiency. One common use of the word bureaucracy is the ability to make impossibilities a reality.

But there is a more balanced way to look at a bureaucracy. From a structural standpoint, it stems from the effort to lead organizations through closed systems. These systems are meant to be formal and rigid in order to maintain order. Perhaps the single most identifiable characteristic of a bureaucracy is the use of hierarchical procedures to simplify or replace autonomous decisions.

A bureaucrat makes implicit assumptions about an organization and how it operates. One assumption is that the entity cannot rely on an open system of operations, which is either too complex or too uncertain to survive. Instead, a closed and rationally reviewed system should be implemented and followed.

Procedural correctness is paramount within a bureaucracy.

Bureaucracy vs. Governance vs. Administration

Bureaucracy is not the same as governance or administration. Some administrative structures are not bureaucratic, and many bureaucracies are not part of administrative structures. So what's the difference? The distinction lies in the objectives of each system.

Bureaucracies ensure procedural correctness irrespective of the circumstances or goals. Governance includes processes, procedures, and systems that are implemented by an organization to:

• Make decisions
• Assign individuals who make those decisions
• Provide oversight
• Collect data and report performance results

An administration, on the other hand, directs organizational resources toward an objective goal such as generating profits or administering a service.

In modern industrial societies, dual bureaucracies often exist between private companies and government regulatory agencies. Whenever a regulatory bureaucracy exists to impose rules on business activity, the private company may create a bureaucracy to avoid violating such regulations.

Bureaucracies are all around us from the companies for which we work to the governments that rule our world's countries. They are in place to ensure that things run efficiently and by the book—that is, that people follow the rules, whether that's to conduct health and safety checks while on the job, to get a permit for a building project, or to access government benefits.

The 4 million Americans who work for the federal government have many faces and do many jobs. For starters, over 1.4 million are in military service. Overall, they represent much more of a cross section of the American population than do members of Congress or federal judges. About 43% are women, and 28% represent minority groups.

Surprising Facts

Many other misconceptions exist about federal employees. Consider the following:

• Only about 10% of civilian employees work in the Washington, D.C. area. Postal workers and forest rangers live and work across the country, for example. California alone has more federal employees than does the District of Columbia.
• About 30% of the civilian employees work for the army, the navy, the air force, or some other defense agency.
• Even though bureaucrats work at a variety of jobs, most are white-collar workers like secretaries, clerks, lawyers, inspectors, and engineers.
• The number of federal employees per 100 people in the United States population has actually decreased from over 14 per 100 in the early 1970s to a little over 10 per 100 by the late 1990s.

What Do Bureaucrats Do?

Most people think that bureaucrats only follow orders. They carry out the decisions that the President or members of Congress make. Of course, anyone who works in the executive branch is there to implement decisions, but the reality of their work is more complicated. The power of the bureaucracy depends on how much discretionary authority it is granted.

Congress passes laws, but it cannot follow through on all the little decisions that have to be made as the law is translated into action. Bureaucrats, then, may make policies and choose actions that are not spelled out in advance by laws.

Congress delegates substantial authority to administrative agencies in several areas:

1. Paying subsidies — government support money — to farmers, veterans, scientists, schools, universities, and hospitals
2. Transferring money to state and local governments for grants-in-aid, such as highway building, city improvements, or educational programs.
3. Devising and enforcing regulations, such as who owns television stations, what safety features automobiles have, and what kinds of scientific research will be specially encouraged.

About 90% of all federal bureaucrats are hired under regulations of the civil service system. Most of them take a written examination administered by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and they meet selection criteria, such as training, education levels, or prior experience. Some of them take special tests and meet special criteria, such as postal employees, FBI agents, CIA intelligence officers, foreign-service officers, and doctors in the Public Health Service.

The variety of people who work for the federal bureaucracy is greater than most people realize. They may do scientific research, clerk in welfare offices, decide burn policies for national forests, or do undercover intelligence work. They are all a part of the process whereby the government fulfills the many expectations that Americans have for it today.

What is the term that refers to a person who works within a bureaucracy?

Are the individuals who work in the bureaucracy?

Which of the following best describes a bureaucracy quizlet?

What is the job of a bureaucrat?