How Rationality Functions As An Organizing Principle

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This theory assumed that organizing rules should always evolve in such a way as to lead to predetermined goals with maximum efficiency and that an set implementation of such rules and goals are best achieved by creating predetermined procedures. (Weber, "Bureaucracy")
The defining characteristic of Weber's definition of rationality was that of rational calculation, characterized by managers reviewing pertinent information and efficiently optimizing the implementation of effective design. The key differentiation between modern, as opposed to traditional forms of organization, according to Weber, was organizational complexity. In modern organizational structures, because every unit of workers required a supervisor, more and more layers of managers and supervisors became necessary to manage increasingly detailed duties in increasingly detailed organizations. The more complex the organization and the more complex the bureaucracy created, the more complex the rules to govern ...

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able behave at all times. The more rationally managers must behave at all times when supervising their employees, the more rational the organizations they manage will be. The more rational the organization as a collective, the better things will function. (Weber "Bureaucracy")
An efficient and rational organization is thus founded upon providing unambiguous criteria for selecting among alternatives to achieve a goal according highly formulized of rule, roles, and goals. Weber stressed that rules were good, because rules increased predictability to standardize and regulate behavior and made possible stable expectations and simplified relations. Although it is popular nowadays to rail ...

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