Bureaucratic System in Bangladesh.

A bureaucracy is a way of administratively organizing large numbers of people who need to work together. Organizations in the public and private sector, including universities and governments, rely on bureaucracies to function. The term bureaucracy literally means “rule by desks or offices,” a definition that highlights the often impersonal character of bureaucracies. Even though bureaucracies sometimes seem inefficient or wasteful, setting up a bureaucracy helps ensure that thousands of people work together in compatible ways by defining everyone’s roles within a hierarchy.

I am a student of University Of Dhaka, but sorry to say that i have an experience with the bureaucratic system into my University. A few days before the last admission test exam of Dhaka University, one of my younger sister from my hometown came to the register building of Dhaka University because she was an applicant and she was facing problems downloading her admit. Actually in the admit her picture was not acceptable so she had to change it by following the process. I was with her. I took her to the admission information and help center room of register building. The time I was entering into the room, the duty officer was leaving. I told him about my problem just in front of the door. He said we have to wait because he is leaving for a short time. Then we started waiting. After one hour I went to the room again i saw an another person was sitting on the other table in this room. Then i asked him about the duty officer who told me to wait. He replied that he didn’t know. Then I told him about the same problem but he said this is not possible without the man who told us to wait for him at first. During all these, the lunch hour started. The duty officer was not in his office from 2 hours before the lunch break. My younger sister was so much tensed that she didn’t take her lunch. So we waited the whole lunch time in the register building. After the lunch break, the duty officer came. Then I asked him what’s this sir. He replied that I am not here for all the time to serve you, I have my personal works. I just got shocked. My university is paying him to solve our problems and he was saying he is not here for serving us, not even on his duty time. Then I asked him why university is paying him. He replied that he had not enough time to reply such stupid questions. He also told me to give my papers, and he had a lots of works to do. I can’t stop my face smiling by seeing his activeness when i asked him why my university is paying him. He had no answer to reply my question. But the matter is after receiving the papers he just took a single signature from my sister. For this single signature he wasted my 4 hours time. Then I had nothing to say to my sister about my university.

Now it’s time to relate with the theory. There are many theories we can relate with this. I will choose Bureaucratic management theory. According to the bureaucratic management theory of Max Weber, bureaucracy is the basis for the systematic formation of any organisation and is designed to ensure efficiency and economic effectiveness. It is an ideal model for management and its administration to bring an organisation’s power structure into focus. With these observations, he lays down the basic principles of bureaucracy and emphasises the division of labour, hierarchy, rules and impersonal relationship.

Employees of an bureaucratic organization have no opportunity to voice their opinion or influence decision making, a bureaucracy may demotivate employees in the long run.

Moreover, over the course of time, employees may start to get annoyed at the various rules and requirements, with the risk that they may start boycotting or abusing these rules and standing up to the established order. It is therefore very important that bureaucratic organisations properly inform employees well in advance about their approach to work and requires them to accept this. Only employees who agree to this approach are suitable to work within a bureaucratic organisation.

This article explains the bureaucratic theory of the management principles by Max Weber in a practical way. After reading you will understand the basics of bureaucratic management and you can use this as a powerful management tool.