Two types of bureaucracy: enabling and coercive.

This article proposes a conceptualization of workflow formalization that helps reconcile the contrasting assessments of bureaucracy as alienating to employees or as enabling them to perform their tasks better. Interpreting formalization as an organizational technology, we use recent research on the...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Administrative Science Quarterly Vol. 41; pp. 61 - 90
Autores principales: Adler, Paul S., Borys, Bryan
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Administrative Science Quarterly March 1996
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=507478313&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ssf
    uiTerm: 507478313
    longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        00018392
        ASQ
      jtl: Administrative Science Quarterly
      issn: 00018392
      maglogo: N
    pubinfo:
      dt: March 1996
      vid: 41
      pid: 224
      pub: Administrative Science Quarterly
    artinfo:
      ui:
        507478313
        10.2307/2393986
      ppf: 61
      ppct: 29
      formats:
        fmt:
          – @attributes:
              type: T
          – @attributes:
              type: P
              size: 2MB
      tig:
        atl: Two types of bureaucracy: enabling and coercive.
      aug:
        au:
          Adler, Paul S.
          Borys, Bryan
      su:
        Organizational behavior
        Bureaucracy
        Technology & labor
        Employee rules
      sug:
        subj:
          Organizational behavior
          Bureaucracy
          Technology & labor
          Employee rules
      ab: This article proposes a conceptualization of workflow formalization that helps reconcile the contrasting assessments of bureaucracy as alienating to employees or as enabling them to perform their tasks better. Interpreting formalization as an organizational technology, we use recent research on the design of equipment technology to identify two types of formalization-enabling and coercive. Whether the impact of formalization on employees' attitudes is positive or negative is, we argue, a function of whether that formalization enables employees better to master their tasks or functions as a means by which management attempts to coerce employees' effort and compliance. We identify some forces that tend to discourage the enabling orientation to the benefit of the coercive orientation, as well as some persistent countertendencies that encourage the enabling orientation. We suggest some ways in which this typology can be extended beyond workflow formalization to other facets of bureaucracy such as internal labor markets, hierarchy, and the role of staff functions. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
    refInfo:
    copyright:
      @attributes:
        flag: N
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N