Understanding Bureaucracy

Bureaucracy is a form of organisational structure.  It is not the paperwork and busywork we see in large organisations.  That is something different.  It is waste, inefficiency and an inside out view of dealing with customers.

But they seem to go together, don't they?

In the next few weeks I want to go through some of the ideas about what a bureaucracy really is, where it came from, what it's strengths and weaknesses are, and what we should do with it when considering the design and creation of new workplace systems and structures.

And why is it they are so frustrating to deal with?

Here is a tentative roadmap for the discussion.  I'll update it with links as I write the posts.

1. What is Bureaucracy
2. Origins of Bureaucracy
3. The Evolution of Bureaucracy
4. Organisational theory on Bureaucracy
5. Alternative Models for  Bureaucratic Organisations
6. The future of  Bureaucracy