Overcoming Bureaucracy: Social Change & Human Rights



Power & Change of Bureaucracies—Lecture Outline

Issues to Consider for Group Discussion:

1. What is the dominant managerial view of Organizations (& of managers) and rationality? How are large, powerful organizations not so ‘rational” for lower-ranking workers, women and minority group members? How do changes in society (e.g., increasing diversity and feminism / more gender equality) and global events (e.g., cold war, war on terrorism) affect organizations & theories about them? (Mills & Simons & Mills, ch. 7)

2. How are bureaucracies instruments of power? Can they be gotten rid of in modern world? How is Bureaucratic Secrecy as a means of Power? How does it help bureaucracies, esp. re: accountability? What does it mean that of modern, western culture with its preponderance of bureaucracies might lead to “’Specialists without sprit, sensualists without heart’”? (Weber web rdg.—last quote is from pg. 182)

3. On Human Agency & Bureaucracy – Are individuals entirely controlled by bureaucratic organizations? How does the “Social Mind” & people’s ability to be Reflective open possibilities to change organizations (e.g., via reinterpreting rules)? How does bur. hierarchy shape this prospect? (Sjoberg web rdg.)

4. How do Corporations shape & manipulate the Market (supply & demand)? Eg., GM & transportation supply (mass transit) & demand (cars), Tobacco companies & demand for their product, HMOs & supply and demand healthcare, etc. & Any examples you might speculate about… (Sjoberg web rdg.)

5. What is “Social triage” as a negative consequence of bureaucratic capitalism? Why & how is it truly disadvantaged groups are “expendable” or excludable – in Environmental issues, banking, and via prisons? (Sjoberg web rdg.)

6. How might powerful bureaucracies be held accountable for wrongs committed? Post WWII Nazi example, Post- Apartheid example in South Africa? How might Human Rights standards be useful in evaluating organizations? (Sjoberg web rdg. )

Lecture & Overlap with Group Discussion report in:

Key Issues to be aware of (I highlighted on 1st day, briefly):

How does the “Social Mind” & people’s ability to be Reflective open possibilities to possibly change & resist powerful organizations (e.g., via reinterpreting rules)? (Sjoberg web rdg.)

How does Organizational Theory reflect the social and historical period in which it arises? (Mills and Simons ch. 7)

How do corporations manipulate the market (supply & demand); what is Social Triage? (Sjoberg web rdg.)

Bureaucratic Secrecy as key tool of bureaucratic power (Weber web rdg.)

Corporation Manipulation of the Market – GM/Firestone/Standard Oil example re: mass transit [also Tobacco companies, & health insurance companies / HMO’s] (Sjoberg web rdg.)

Management ideas reflect the historical period of society and world – e.g.., 1930 management styles reflect looming confrontation between fascism and democracy; Post-WWII management style reflect post-war optimism and triumphant democracy; more recently, increasing concern with gendered masculine nature of org. management is reflection of importance of Feminist social-political movement since 1960s & 70s. (Mills and Simmons, Ch. 7)

Importance of Bureaucratic Secrecy both for internal purposes (e.g., lower-ranking workers within an organization -- Sjoberg web rdg) as well as for external purposes (protecting the organization & its elites from external scrutiny-- Weber web rdg., Sjoberg web rdg.).

Social Triage -- Why & how is it truly disadvantaged groups are “expendable” or excludable (e.g., in environmental issues, banking, and via prisons) & Why is it “efficient” to write them off or “inefficient to save / help them? (Sjoberg web rdg.)

Other Key things to be familiar with but not covered in class, or not much:

• The Social Construction of Profits & Efficiency –Via complex accounting procedures (Sjoberg web rdg., pg 49)

• How might corporations & other powerful bureaucracies be held accountable , & what might be the role for Human Rights standards? Post-WWII Nazi example, Post- Apartheid example in South Africa? (Sjoberg web rdg.)

• Bureaucracy resistant to change, and its enduring structure -- can change leaders but very hard to change the organizational structure. (Weber web rdg.)

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