Chapter Study OutlineIntroduction Show The bureaucracy is the administrative heart and soul of government. Policies passed by authoritative decision makers are interpreted and implemented by executive agencies and departments. Created by elected officeholders, bureaucratic organizations exist to perform essential public functions both on a day-to-day basis and, especially, at times of national emergencies. Despite these efforts and functions, bureaucracy is generally unpopular in American government and often criticized as “big government” run amok. 1. Why Bureaucracy? What is the political status of the federal bureaucracy? What is its power? How does the public view it? What essential functions do bureaucratic agencies and departments perform?
2. How is the Executive Branch Organized? How are individual departments and agencies organized? What types of departments and agencies exist? How do their functions and political environments differ?
3. The Problem of Bureaucratic Control What goals and motivations do bureaucrats have? To the extent that bureaucrats and bureaucracies are agents, how is this problematic? Who are the bureaucracy’s principals and how do they exert control?
4. How Can Bureaucracy Be Reduced? How has the American national government’s bureaucracy developed in recent years? What strategies exist to reduce the size and scope of the federal executive? What are the inherent challenges involved with each strategy?
5. Conclusion Does bureaucracy work?
What are three reasons why Overcentralization can cause serious problems for an organization?Why can overcentralization cause serious problems for an organization? It can take longer for the organization to implement decisions. It can prevent low-level employees from reporting problems. It can take longer for the organization to respond to changes on a regional scale.
What is a rationale for specialization?The rationale for specialization. The "job" of most organizations is too large for one person to handle. When a worker has to learn one specific, highly specialized task, that individual can learn it quickly and perform it efficiently.
Which of the following is an advantage of job specialization?Answer and Explanation: The answer is A) Workers can develop expertise in their jobs. A) Workers can develop expertise in their jobs. In specialization, an individual employee is assigned a specific task which they have to perform.
What are the four ways in which departments are commonly organized?Common Organizational Structures. Differentiate between the four basic types of departmentalization (function, product, customer, and geography).. Distinguish matrix organizations from traditional departments.. Differentiate between team-based structures, networks, and modular organizations.. |