This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 64.240.35.xxx (talk) at 05:17, 20 November 2001. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 05:17, 20 November 2001 by 64.240.35.xxx (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Bureaucracy is a system of government characterized by regularized procedure and impersonal relationships. The term was first used by Max Weber.
The term can also be used to refer to nongovernmental organizations when they implement a similar organizational structure.
A hypothetical bureaucracy would consist of many levels of management which require many signature approvals to make any decision. A second characteristic of many bureaucracies, especially government ones, is extreme difficulty in firing or laying off employees.
In modern usage, bureaucracy is equated with inefficiency, laziness, and waste. It is generally used as a negative word.
Bureaucracy is oftentimes characterized as existing solely for itself and only creates things which end up in enlarging the size of the bureaucracy.