Ba 366 - Management Essentials - Army as Bureaucratic Organization

Mladen Sudarevic

BA 366 Management Essentials

Regis University

October 4, 2011

First Night Assignment

Prepare double-spaced, typewritten paper (2-3 pages) that describes how you as a current (or potential) manager would apply some of the concepts or insights from the reading in your workplace.

As a Noncommissioned Officer in the United States Army there is not much I can do to change my style of leadership or my management of junior Noncommissioned Officers and lower enlisted soldiers. Management of troops is strictly regulated by number of regulations that regulate every aspect of interactions and acceptable (unacceptable) behavior between different ranks.

According to Max Webber, late-19th-century German intellectual United States Army would fall in the category of Bureaucratic Organization; organization that is founded on principles of logic, order and legitimate authority. Defining characteristics of Weber's bureaucratic organization, which falls in line with the way Military is being run, is as follows:

Clear division of labor: Soldiers responsibilities are based on their rank, time in service, military education, and experience in their military occupational skill. It is not common to see senior ranking soldiers performing jobs that are assigned to lower ranking soldiers, nor is it common to see lower ranking soldiers performing jobs of senior ranked soldiers. Duties and responsibilities are divided based on person's rank, experience and time in service.

Clear hierarchy of authority: Authority and responsibility are clearly defined for each position (rank), and each person reports to higher level one. Jumping the chain of command is highly discouraged and is only allowed when leader in the chain of command fails to perform their tasks and responsibilities as leaders. Open door policy is regarded as figure of speech used by those outside of military.

Formal rules and procedures: Army regulations, pamphlets and numerous manuals provide guidance for interactions between leaders and their subordinates. These same regulations direct behavior and decisions in jobs, and written files are kept for historical record. Any deviation from doctrine (no following guidelines) is almost certain to get one in trouble. Each action or task is defined in some type of regulation or pamphlet. It is responsibility of leaders on all levels to familiarize themselves and their subordinates on any and all changes to new rules and regulations. All changes are made strictly top down.

Impersonality: Rules and procedures are impartially and uniformly applied with no one receiving preferential treatment. In order to instill cohesion and teamwork all awards and punishments are divided equally among troops. If one person makes mistake everyone pays for the mistake. Although this may not seem as fair to some, it does help instill level of teamwork, responsibility, and accountability in all members of the team. Primary focus of first and second line leaders is to develop cohesion among the team. However, there can be no perception that some soldiers are receiving preferential