Bureaucracy - Book Report/Review Example

of the Sociology of the Concerned 14 June Negative Consequences of Bureaucracy Bureaucracy is a top-down, hierarchical system of governance and management that has its negative consequences. Bureaucracy many a times stifles the ingenuity and creativity in organizations. No matter how talented the bureaucrats at the top may be, it is impossible for a limited pool of administrators to come out with innovative and creative strategic ideas, without resorting to some sort of broad based, interdisciplinary team (Stivers 13).

The employees operating at the ground level in a bureaucratic setup may end up feeling frustrated owing to a lack of say in the decision making processes, resulting in a high turnover rate (Stivers 5). For instance in a company producing consumer goods, it is not possible for the top management to cater to diverse consumer aspirations and expectations, without getting the requisite inputs from the sales staff. Besides, the sales people may feel helpless and frustrated when they are made to sell products that do not fulfill the customer requirements.

Bureaucratic organizations bound by rigid controls may find themselves unable to promptly adapt to changes in the economic, political or legal environment (Stivers 410). Besides, the bureaucrats running a system may sometimes get self centered, thereby; appropriating resources that may be way beyond what is actually required to run the system, giving way to dissatisfaction, dissent and resentment (Stivers 5). The erstwhile communist Russia is an apt example of this trend, where the bureaucrats in their quest for self aggrandizement, lost touch with the popular aspirations.

Bureaucracy is a system of governance that is bound to turn counterproductive, if not backed by ample monitoring and sharing of power. Works CitedStivers, Camilla (Ed.). Democracy, Bureaucracy and the Study of Administration. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2000. Print.