Research On The Issue Of Rationality In Weber's Theory Of Ideal Type Bureaucracy

The development of modern society calls for an efficient social organization structure, tothe design of which Weber has contributed a lot. Based on the study and criticism of the pastbureaucracy, he believes that the inefficiency of such governance form is owing to someman-made interference, and that in order to improve the organizational efficiencyconsiderably, it's necessary to get the organization non-personified and to regulate thebehavior of its members with a perfect organizational system and mode. Weber applies the ideal type methodology to establish the theory of bureaucracy. Heconsiders the formal rationality and the substantive rationality to be two different ideal valueswith absolute conflicts. In the rationality theory of bureaucracy, Weber believes the objectiveformal rationality is helpful to avoid subjective interference and to improve efficiency. Thushe puts a one-sided emphasis on it. As for the substantive rationality, Weber thinks that toomany man-made factors may hinder the improvement of organization efficiency.Consequently he rejects the substantive rationality. Weber narrows down the extension ofrationality by equating the ideal type of rationality to the formal rationality. Due to suchone-sided rationality as a prerequisite, bureaucracy proves to be irrational both in theory andpractice. Weber attaches foremost importance to organizational efficiency in his bureaucracytheory, but ignores the fact that the highest goal of organizational development lies in therealization of human value rather than f a maximum of efficiency. The irrationality ofbureaucracy stems from the ignorance and rejection of human value. Many scholars, including Weber himself, propose remedies for the shortcomings ofbureaucracy. There are two major views: a total negation and an external remedy, both ofwhich fail to solve the central problem. The real remedy for bureaucracy lies in an affirmationof the significance of human value in the prerequisite of bureaucracy ----- integrate the scopeof rationality and improve bureaucracy on the basis of a complete sense of rationality whichconforms to humanity.