Research On The Idea Of Personnel Administration In Max Weber’ Rational Bureaucracy Theory

The Idea of Personnel Administration in Max Weber’s Rational Bureaucracy Theory is an ideal description which is formed under given background. On one hand, such an idea is effected by the given economic, political, social conditions and the personnel administration tradition of Prussia. On the other hand, the idea is also effected by Weber’s family, his characters, personal experience, the environment around his life and some related theories. The Idea of Personnel Administration in Max Weber’s Rational Bureaucracy Theory could be described as a process. Such a process is composed of three sections:the selection and appointment of administrative officials, the fixation, the power and responsibility of administrative officials, and the daily management of administrative officials. Each section of the process has formed its own contents of the style of rational bureaucracy under the influence of Rational Bureaucracy Theory. As an important section of the Rational Bureaucracy Theory, the Idea of Personnel Administration has been effected by given external conditions and many elements in the Rational Bureaucracy, and has formed its own characteristics:Centralized management, regulated institution, professional division of the work, clearly demarcated public and private interests, well educated and technological personnel, and rational relationship.As the time flies, Weber’s Rational Bureaucracy Theory has been widely criticized by many other theories such as the New Public Management Theory. The Idea of Personnel Administration in Max Weber’s Rational Bureaucracy Theory has been full of controversy as well, but such an idea never loses its worth. On one hand, we should insist on the reasonable elements of the idea, such as the fundamental role of the authority, the dominant role of regulation and institution, the strength of the technology and rationality. On the other hand, we should think of the dificits of the idea, we should transform the opinion of personnel administration, draw lessons from the decentralized management, pay attention to elastic management, enrich the device of motivation, improve the motivation mechanism, intensify the construction of administrative culture and improve the system of administrative supervision.