Evolution of Formal Organizations

Evolution of Formal Organizations

SOC120

CARY PETERSON

Evolution of Formal Organizations

Formal organization has been around for centuries. Kings and Queens, Pharaohs, Emperors, and Czars were just the beginning of the world’s vast bureaucracy. According to Max Weber, “the development of a money economy is a presupposition for a bureaucracy.” (Weber, 2009) Government and Military are probably the greatest examples of conventional bureaucracy, but many corporations have since adopted this way of thinking. Conventional bureaucracies are laid out in the form of a pyramid. Starting at the bottom, we have the “rank-and-file workers” who answer to “middle managers” who then answer to “division leaders” who answer to “top executives” who finally answer to “CEO’s”. The idea behind bureaucracies is to keep the flow of information and regulation neat and orderly. As the government and military like to say, this keeps other members of the organization on a “need to know” basis. It allows organizations to keep secrets and control information and funds. This form of organization is also known as the Hierarchy, or chain of command.

An added bonus to this pyramid shape is that companies can use this to bolster moral. I work for Xerox, formerly ACS, and they love using this pyramid shape to their advantage. They will say that customer service representatives were the base of the pyramid holding up the company. We are the foundation, without us, the company would fall. Those with any knowledge of sociology would realize that we were in a corporate bureaucracy and that, in reality, we are replaceable because we have the least education. We know what that pyramid actually means.

It is obvious to me why a pyramid was the chosen shape of conventional bureaucracy; the Egyptians. The Egyptians had one of the first bureaucracies. One might assume that the Pharaohs or Gods were the CEO, but, in all reality the Priests were the CEO’s, the Pharaohs top...