Max Weber and Bureaucracy Flashcards
(24 cards)
Weber viewed the institutions of capitalism as?
The very embodiment of rationality
In what ways did the bureaucracy of the state rival the large corporation?
- promoting efficiency,
- continuity of operation
- speed,
- precision
- calculation of results
Weber’s concept of rational bureaucracy was played off of…
the Marxist concept of the class struggle
What were Weber’s view on class struggle?
He did not deny it’s part in history but also did not see it as the central dynamic
Weber saw nothing attractive in socialism but…
…did not deny the possibility of socializing the means of production
What was the most general element in Weber’s philosophy of history?
The principle of rationalization
What things did Weber say “implement the general drift of secular rationalization”?
- The rise and fall of institutional structures
- The ups and downs of classes
- Parties and rulers
What was Weber’s balancing conception for bureaucracy?
The concept of charisma
Self appointed leaders who were followed by those in distress, and those who believed the leader to be extraordinarily qualified are characterized by…?
Charisma
Traditional Authority is based on…?
prior recognition and a habitual orientation to conform
Charismatic Authority is based on…?
personal devotion and personal confidence in revelation, heroism or other qualities of individual leadership
Rational-legal authority is based on…?
the belief in the validity of legal statute and functional competence based on rationally-created rules. in this case, obedience is expected in discharging statuatory obligations
How did Weber view the bureaucracy?
as a servant of the government, a means by which a monarchy, aristocracy, democracy, or other form of government, can rule
those who invented the word Bureaucracy…
wanted to suggest that the servant was trying to become the master
Officially and in theory, the bureaucracy is…?
merely a means of getting policy direction and implementing policies
What did Weber theorize to be at the heart of modern society?
Rational action within a system of rational-legal authority
In an attempt to understand the causes of change in Western society Weber did what?
examined the religious and economic systems of many civilizations
In his analysis of different systems Weber concluded that…?
the bureaucracy tends to result in oligarchy - rule by the few officials at the top of the organization
Weber saw that in a society dominated by large formal organizations,
there is a danger that social, political and economic power will become concentrated in the hands of the few who hold high positions in the most influential of these organizations
The [corrupted] bureaucracy ?
can undermine both human freedom and democracy in the long run
Weber was concerned with the meaning people gave to their actions…
which allowed him to understand the meaning of historical change
Weber assumed that the Protestant Ethic…?
broke the hold of tradition while it encouraged mankind to apply themselves rationally to their work
What was the Protestant ethic?
a religiously anchored theory about the calling and drive for continuous work in mankind
How did Marx and Weber disagree in the explanation for the reason for work in a capitalist society?
- Marx argued that people worked because they had no choice but to sell their labor for a wage
- Weber argued that people were naturally driven to work because of the protestant ethic
