Ethics Prior or After Accountability ??
At the end of 19 century, max waber first used the term bureaucracy.He defined bureaucracy as an organisational structure , characterized by rules ,standerdized process ,procedure, requirement , number of desks,meticulous division of labour and responsibility, clear hierarchies and professional — impersonal relations between employees .From the very beginning the term BUREAUCRACY had been a foment dream to be aspire after .Lots of admirers and critiques are there for bureaucrates and our country is no more exception of it.
I was a class eleven girl that time. just before fifteen days before my termend examination, I was caught cold and fever .Finally i had found it was a typhoid case.One day I had to visit a doctor. So as usual I had to wait in a lenthy queue.I couldnt wait for long as my body temperature was rising again. So I requested the assistant to call my serial no in as early possible. He gave a flabbergasted expression as if I made a serious crime. Then he told me that serial breaking would be an illegal work and that was not possible for him.So I had to wait for a while. My house was almost 4 hours at a distance from the hospital and it was almost evening.
Thus i decided to return home informing the assistant that I will meet the doctor next day. So I went there in the following day. I was so much sure that it would take no more than a hour, so I could catch my bus easily. Because I had to attend my exan next day
When I entered to waiting room next day ,I thought doctor didnt come . But after some time I came to know that the mayor’s brother of that respective arena would come to visit doctor. So all have to wait till he come. After 2 hours waiting my appointment came. In the meantime I lost my bus. As a result I missed my exam.
When I asked the assistant whether mayor’s brother had previous appointment or not. He answerd me that he (mayors brother) was kind of VIP person .so he doesnt need previous appointment. I was so astonished hearing this.That day, I decided to put a complain against that assistant , but suddenly may be he could recognized my mood. He said “Dont think that this decision is mine , I’m supposed to do what doctor says”. He also provided me a very helpful(!!!!!!) information that if I gave some money to him yesterday I could visit the doctor easily.
The story could have ended here. But it didn’t. As I missed one exam so I had to submit respected doctors attested medical certificate for attending that exam later. When I asked for attestation,the assistant told me to give some ‘payola’ (I was told that was not bribe as I was paying it happily !!!!!) .So I gave tk 600 just for a signature that day to get my golden ticket(!!) for sitting in exam.
I know there are lot many good doctors over country ,but this time I got more despondent .Also I want to highlight some point from this story .
- Is it okay for a bureaucrate to follow only factual decisions in dealing with people ? Or the moral values could be an issue also?
when I asked to put my serial for emergency cause , was it correct for the assistant to give excuse of rules and regulations?This point brings the Simon -waldo debate again whether value too is a priority or not.
2. The assistant asked for bribe for a signature but this was my legal right to get it.here comes the responsibility issue along with ethics.
3. Even the doctor stopped his regular serial for an so called influencial person.I thing wabers discussion on bureaucracy might be related to it.
To develop a country as well as a nation,it is responsibility of all citizens to run it properly.Bureaucratic problems should deal with an iron hand.The term bureaucracy has already a negative connotation among us.Is bureaucratic theory of max waber still applicable in todays modern organizations?Do these management principles are applicable for all or there are some exceptions?
Even if We need exception rules how could these laws be formulated?Is there too many bureaucratic resistance in bangadesh ? If it is then how much beneficial are those ?
I do not actually know the answer , but time has come to discuss about these and check whether previous theories are contexual or not .Probably when we could come to a solution of all these quistions ,we could prevent the corruption and nepotism too.
