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  • Essay / Reflection on Max Weber's theory of bureaucracy

    Action. I always wonder why people behave this way. Is there a particular reason behind this action? After reading Weber's theories, I think I had some ideas. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Weber believes that people's actions are predictable and subjective. He had stated three types of rationality behind people's action. The first is practical rationality, which means that we achieve the goal in the fastest way possible. The second is substantive rationality which means that our actions are guided by a certain value. The third is formal rationality. The meaning of formal rationality is that we also choose the most expedient path, but within the framework of rules or restrictions. For example, I take the KMB bus to college because taking the KMB bus might get two dollars in the KMB machine that exists on the main campus. Also, let me use the closed fast food restaurant near us, McDonald's, as an example. When we had less money, like thirty dollars and a McDonald's discount coupon, for practical rationality, McDonald's is the cheapest fast food restaurant that can satisfy your hunger. For substantive rationality, as I wrote, there is a value that motivates your action, McDonald's social responsibility is closely linked to environmental protection. For formal rationality, we prefer to choose McDonald's rather than Burger King because the McDonald's discount coupon makes it much cheaper, and the discount coupon is the rule that guides our actions. Moreover, Weber had emphasized rationalization, the strengthened dominance of formal rationality, Increasingly rationalized, bureaucracy is the ultimate example, in other words, bureaucratization is a more specific saying. In rationalization, the action of the people is guided by unambiguous rules and regulations, which means that errors can appear less because respecting the rules is a means of security. Furthermore, in the bureaucratic system, there are hierarchically organized offices, emphasizing top-down control in the form of hierarchy, it is convenient to diffuse power for lower or higher subordinate leaders. Additionally, rationalization would result in the elimination of emotions. Furthermore, Weber had mentioned two mutually reinforcing forces: bureaucracy and capitalism. Bureaucracy and capitalism emphasize precise calculation of efficiency and profitability, impersonal rules and regulations. When bureaucracy and capitalism reinforce each other, this would lead to an acceleration of the increasing dominance of rationalization. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a custom article now from our expert writers.Get a custom essayNot yet, Weber had spoken about the tensions in rationalization, bureaucracy is the major problem that many critics criticize. Because there are many rules and laws that must be followed by workers, it takes much longer to complete the work, in other words, it is not enough to waste valuable time. The iron cage is also a theory proposed by Weber. In the details of the iron cage, simply put, there are few aspects like teleological efficiency, reasonable calculations and controls that trap individuals in the system. And I thought about the iron cage, if something was rationalized, subjectivity could.