Course Name:

Introduction to Public Administration

1st Year, 2023.
Topic Name F : Bureaucracy
Topic N: Bureaucratic Culture
In Bangladesh

Prepared By:
Mubasshira Chowdhury Nabila
Lecturer

Prepared For:
Department Development Studies
University of Chittagong
 Bureaucracy
• Bureaucracy is defined as a management approach that
emphasized a structured organization in which positions and
authority are defined according to formal rules.
 Bureaucracy

• Max Weber defined bureaucracy as

• “a particular form of administrative organization that is based on the
specialization of functions, a hierarchy of authority, and a system of rules
and regulations designed to ensure uniformity and consistency in the
performance of tasks.” (Weber, 1922)
 Bureaucracy
 The term bureaucracy is derived from the French term ‘bureau’ meaning a desk,
means a desk government.

 It is a government by bureaucracy, but now the term has been given different
interpretations by different writers.
• In the words of H. J. Laski “ bureaucracy is the term usually applied to a system of
government , the control of which is completely in the hands of the officials that
their power jeopardizes the liberties of the ordinary citizen”.
• E. N. Gladden defines bureaucracy as “a government of officials”.
• Marshal E. Dimock is of the view that” bureaucratization means specialization,
hierarchies and long lines of communication”.
• Max Weber: A more sustained treatment of the term’ bureaucracy’ was given in
late 19th century by Mosca and Michels. The former regarded it as so fundamental
to the governing of empires that all political systems could be classified as ‘feudal’
or ‘bureaucratic
• Robert C. Stone in the Dictionary of Social Sciences uses bureaucracy as a type of
organisation characterized by rationality in decision-making, impersonality in social
relations, reutilization of tasks and concentration of authority.
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 Technically the term is used in two senses:
• In its larger sense, “it is used to describe any personnel system where the
employees are classified in a system of administration composed of a
hierarchy of sections, divisions, bureaus, departments and the like.”
• In its restricted sense it is used to describe, “a body of public servants
organized in a hierarchical system which stands outside the sphere of
effective public control.”

 Bureaucracy is a system of administration in which professional class of

expert civil servants administers the affairs of the state in an impartial
manner and is organized in a hierarchical way. The rise of capitalism
resulted in the increased functions of the state.
Functions of Bureaucracy
 Functions or Roles
 Bureaucracy plays in development of the nation, there are some
more important roles/functions carried out by the Bureaucracy.
These are as follows:
1. Running the administration : As we have already discussed above, one of the important roles of
bureaucracy is ensuring that the administration is running smoothly and as per the rules and
regulations that have been implemented by the government, without any disturbances.

2. Advisors to political executives : Bureaucracy advises the political executives in making decisions
for the betterment of the government., which facilitates the smooth running of the government. As
political executives have no knowledge of the functions of the government, these bureaucrats guide
them through their decisions.

3. Law making : The bureaucracy plays an indirect role in the law making as the bills that are
submitted to the legislation for making a law are drafted by them. The ministers contact the civil
servants for all the necessary information that they need to give to the legislation for passing of the
bill.

4. Policy formulation : For the policies that are made to come into action, they need to be included in
specific situations. This is a function of the political executives. However, as we saw above, the civil
servants or bureaucrats play a major role in guiding these political executives in their role, the
bureaucracy plays a major role in the whole process of policy formulation.
 Bureaucracy – Characteristics or Features of
Bureaucratic Organisation
 The basic characteristics or features of Bureaucratic organisation are discussed
below:
• 1. Functional Specialisation – A work is to be divided into various parts by
adopting the principle of division of labour. Each part of work is assigned to a
separate person who is specialised in that type of work. Each person performs
his work in a pre-determined manner. In this way a high degree of functional
specialisation is obtained.

• 2. Hierarchy of Authority – A sub-ordinate is under the control and supervision

of one of the superior authorities. A subordinate is responsible to his superior
for his own decisions and actions. A clearly defined hierarchy of authority is
needed to give commands for proper discharge of duties at various levels. Each
superior has control over his subordinates with a right for making a report to
higher authorities in a specified manner if needed.

• 3. Rules and Regulations – Well defined rules and regulations are laid down to
govern the work behaviour of employees. The rules and regulations are framed
to ensure consistency in the performance of work. A special training is provided
to impart knowledge of rules and procedures.
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• 4. Rights and Duties – Each and every employee can understand his rights and the
duties to be performed. The procedure is to be taken into account while performing
the work. Procedures are laid down for orderly performance of work.

• 5. Technical Competence – Qualification is prescribed for each and every

job/position. Selection and promotion is followed on the basis of technical
competence possessed by the candidates.

• 6. Fixation of Procedure – A procedure is fixed or framed by considering situations

or work. Each procedure must be time-tested and adoptable by any person.

• 7. Record-Keeping – Every decision and action is taken only after writing in number
of documents. Both draft form and original documents are preserved for future
reference.

• 8. Impersonal Relations – Rewards should be given on the basis of efficiency. Family

relationships or any other relationships should not influence presentation of
awards. Personal preferences, emotions and prejudices should not influence the
functioning of an organisation. This type of unbiased approach, certainly, will
ensure maximum efficiency.
 Bureaucracy – Kinds of Bureaucracies Identified
by Mintzberg
 Mintzberg identified two kinds of bureaucracies:
i) Weberian or Machine bureaucracy, and
ii) Professional bureaucracy.

 (i) Weberian or Machine Bureaucracy:

 Weber’s ideal bureaucracy is suitable in relatively stable environment and for
manufacturing, service and government organisations. Its characteristics such as
rules and regulations, specialisation, chain of command, impersonality, etc.

 According to Max Weber there are three characteristics of bureaucracy. They are
the following:

1. The regular activities required for the purposes of the bureaucratically governed
structures are distributed in a fixed way as official duties.
2. The authority to give the commands required for the discharged of these duties is
distributed in a stable way and is strictly delimited by rules concerning a coercive
means, physical, or otherwise, which may be placed at the disposal of officials.
3. Methodical provision is made for the regular and continuous fulfillment of these
duties and for the execution of the corresponding rights.
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 (ii) Professional Bureaucracy:

 When the external environment is complex and the internal operations are also
complex, there is a tendency on the part of the organisations to become
professionally bureaucratic.
 Professional bureaucracy is characterized by the following
features:
1. Operating tasks are standardized and complex.
2. Decentralized decision-making and less degree of formalization.
3. Emphasis on professional competence and authority.
4. Standards of performance are set by professional bodies.

 The examples of professional bureaucracies are hospitals, firms of accountants

and consultancy firms. The professional bureaucracy relies on standardization
of skills as the primary means of co­ordination. There is much horizontal
specialisation by professional areas of expertise but little formalization.
 Types of Bureaucracy

 According to Morstein Marx, there are four types of bureaucracy:

 Guardian Bureaucracy –
• Guardian Bureaucracy is that which is dedicated to the general welfare of the community. It
acts as champion of justice and custodian of community’s welfare. The ancient Chinese
administrative system was of this type.

 Caste Bureaucracy—
• This type of bureaucracy has a caste base. Most of the civil servants belong to the
aristocratic families. Thus in this system civil servants are taken from the upper strata of the
society. It is prevalent in oligarchic political systems.

 Patronage Bureaucracy—
• If public appointments are made on the basis of personal favour or as political rewards, it is
termed as patronage Bureaucracy. The spoils system prevalent in the U.S.A provides for
such a type of bureaucracy.

 Merit Bureaucracy—
• If the civil servants are appointed on the basis of merit, through a competitive examination,
it is termed as Merit Bureaucracy. It aims at an efficient public service and is taken as a
carrier open to talent.
 Bureaucracy – Rationale

 Rationale of bureaucracy are as follows:

• (i) A Government is run by general processes – (a) The process of politics,

which consists of the activities of elected representatives of the people
and (b) the process of administration to assist politically elected ministers,
which consists of the activities of permanent bureaucrats or civil servants.

• (ii) Bureaucrats are professionally recruited and trained in various

disciplines – functional, technical and specialist as well as managerial and
generalist such as police force to maintain law and order, a diplomatic
service for external affairs, technical services for Public Works Department
or defense, Railways and Customs etc.

• (iii) The administrative machinery is subordinate to the political arm of the

Government. But in practice, it plays a very important role. It has become
a very potent and vital element of any Government all over the world.
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• (iv) It is an indispensable part of each and every political system, be it

communism or socialism or capitalism. It can exist in a type of
society, be it a dictatorial or a democratic society. To run the
administration of a country in effective wow, a band of capable
officers—efficient, prompt, just and sympathetic—belonging to
different disciplines of civil services are required.

• (v) Bureaucracy is meant for exclusive and specialist nature of work

of the Government. The Government needs for more expert
knowledge in administration for improving the quality of life, the
importance of administrative civil services increases day-by-day.

• (vi) Bureaucracy is concerned with strategic points in every

administrative set-up; there are certain positions or posts, which
might be called as strategic policies to maintain the standard of
administration. Bureaucrats try to maintain this standard as they get
professional training.
 Bureaucracy – Advantages and Benefits
 Bureaucratic form of organisation gives certain benefits or advantages to
the management.
 They are briefly discussed below:
• 1. Specialisation – Specialisation is achieved by assigning a specific task to each
and every person.

• 2. Employee Behaviour – Under bureaucracy, policies, rules and regulations are

well framed and they could be applied to any type of company. It ensures
consistent employee behaviour. The behaviour and reactions of employee are
easily predictable. It facilitates the management to implement any project.

• 3. Structure – The structure or form of bureaucracy is created by fixing the duties

and responsibilities. Besides, it specifies smooth relationships among employees.
The fixed structure facilitates the easy functioning of the organisation.

• 4. No Conflict – Duties and responsibilities of each employee are clearly

defined and explained. It avoids the overlapping or conflicting of job
duties
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• 5. Advance Decision – A criteria is fixed to take a decision in routine
matters. So, the decision maker can take a decision well in advance.

• 6. Optimum Utilization of Human Resources – Hiring, selection and

promotion are based on the technical competence possessed by the
candidate i.e., purely on merit and expertise. This ensures the correct
matching of the right worker with the right job. It helps the management
to utilize the available human resources to the maximum.

• 7. Democracy – Under bureaucracy, no employee enjoys any privilege. All

employees are treated equal. This makes the organisation more
democratic.

• 8. Perpetual Succession – The job or position is emphasized rather than

the person. No rules and regulations are relaxed for any employee. At the
same time, no new rules and regulation are imposed on any employee. The
organisation will continue even after the individual leaves the organisation.
Bureaucracy – Disadvantages and Dysfunctions /
Maladies
 Bureaucracy – Disadvantages and Dysfunctions / Maladies

 A coin has two sides. So, bureaucracy has disadvantages or limitations also.

 The disadvantages or limitations 0r dysfunction or maladies of bureaucracy are given

below:

• 1. Rigidity – Rules and regulations are very rigid and inflexible under bureaucracy. The
initiative and creativity of employees are discouraged with rigid compliance of rules and
regulations. There is a resistance to change on the part of employees also. The reason is
that bureaucracy provides a scope to employees to shrink responsibility for failures.

• 2. Red Tapism – There is too much red tapism and paper work. Every decision is taken after
having detailed discussion with many persons. These discussions are recorded in a number
of documents. These documents cannot be cancelled after having been taken. Bureaucracy
has a lot of paperwork.

• 3. Displacement of Goal – An organisation has been divided into various units i.e., sub-
units. The objective of sub-unit is also framed by the top management. A person who is in
charge of a sub-unit may try to achieve its objective reflecting the overall objectives of the
organisation. In such a case, the management finds it very difficult to achieve the goals of
the organisation.
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• 4. Impersonal Nature of Work – Service with devotion is not expected from
the employees. It does not faster in them a sense of belongingness. The
employees do not care about the well-being of the organisation. This is
because of impersonal nature of work.

• 5. Failure of Co-Operation and Co-Ordination – Organizational rules and

regulations are given priority over situation. Jobs are performed according
to norms and procedures. It hampers the free flow of work. So, this restricts
the management from getting the mutual co-operation and co-ordination.

• 6. No Mutual Understanding – Personal feelings, views, needs and opinions

are not given any importance or consideration under bureaucracy.
Contractual obligations are given much importance over human relations.
This results non-existence of mutual understanding.

• 7. Mechanical Treatment – Initiative and creative thinking of an employee

are not recognized. Employees are treated like machine and not like
individuals.
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• 8. Empire Building – Every superior tries to increase the number of his
subordinates. The reason is that the maximum number of subordinates is
considered a symbol of power and prestige. In other words, a person wants to
have a number of followers while walking on a road. It is a symbol of prestige i.e.,
empire building.

• 9. Circumlocution—The greatest criticism of bureaucracy is about its lengthy and

roundabout way of doing the work. The bureaucrats are very particular in
following the formal rules and regulations. Even if the matter is of an urgent
nature it has to pass through all the stages of its official procedure. In the words
of Bagehot “it is an inevitable defect that the governments will care more for
routine than for the results”.

• 10. Formalism—Another defect of bureaucracy is it excessive adherence to

formalism. Too much use of forms and formalities makes the official lose his
sense of judgment and initiative. The language and the forms of official letters
and the method of making note on the file and sending it upwards, all are fixed
beforehand and each office acts mechanically in the prescribed manner.
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• 11. Unresponsiveness—Bureaucracy is not usually responsive to the needs of the

people. It considers itself as the self-appointed guardian and interpreter of public
interest. It keeps on following its old standardized procedures and does not react to the
changing political climate of the country.

• 12. Despotism—Since bureaucracy craves for power it has been condemned as despotic.
It usurps the powers of the legislature on the one hand and side-tracks the courts on the
other. In fact the government services are taking more and more powers to themselves.
The power hungry bureaucrats have an inherent lust for power. They are really becoming
despotic and their despotism wears cloaks of ministerial responsibilities and delegation
by the parliament.

• 13. Corruption—Corruption is the malady of Indian bureaucracy. Corruption has gone

into the very root of the bureaucratic structure. The civil services are in general prone to
illegal extortion of money from the people before doing their work. The spoils system,
which prevails in America, also has corrupting influence on the American political system
in particular and public in general.
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• 14. Empire building—Bureaucracy perpetuates the evil of

dividing the work of government into many isolated and self –
dependent sections, each pursuing its own ends. These units
thus develop the tendency
• of being independent units.

• 15. Yes-man ship— The top bureaucrats who are political

favorites become perfect yes-man of their political boss. In
their turn they expect yes-man ship from their subordinate
officers. Such blind obedience of the bureaucrats will weaken
the efficiency of administration and lower the morale of the
honest employees
 Ethics in Bureaucracy –Ethical behaviour pays

 Ethics is defined as a set of “moral principles that govern a person’s

behaviour or the conducting of an activity”. Ethics or ethical behaviour
pertains to certain socially acceptable conduct that may not have been
codified formally into a law or a rule, violation of which could lead to
formal penalty or punishment. Unethical behaviour may be frowned
upon.

 Ethics could have come into existence only when human beings started
to reflect on the best way to live. The idea perhaps was to evolve
customary standards of right and wrong conduct.

 In the context of bureaucracy, it came to evolve in a slightly different

form as over a period of time a large part of ethical behaviour, i.e., what
was expected of a civil servant, came to be codified and became a part
of some legislation or a rule thereunder. Thus, dishonest conduct came
to be punishable under the law. There is still, however, a large segment
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 Political alignment, if proved, can create problems for a serving civil
servant as it violates a defined and codified code of conduct. However, a
civil servant is expected to be politically neutral even if such a conduct
evidently or explicitly does not violate an express provision of conduct
rules. There is therefore a huge debate whether civil servants in general
and those occupying constitutional positions in particular, like Election
Commissioner, should be allowed to join a political after their tenure.
Their joining a political party is not illegal by any stretch of imagination
but raises ethical issues.

 Objectivity and impartiality is a virtue that a civil servant is supposed to

possess and his advice or action is expected to conform to it. Civil
servants afflicted with intellectual dishonesty do enormous damage to
governance. This becomes even more important in situations relating to
communal tension and more so during the election process. The conduct
of elections is totally in the hands of civil servants. He cannot but be
neutral as the entire democratic process is dependent on him .
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 There is no law that mandates civil servants to be humane and accessible.
However, this is what is expected of him. These attributes can give
enormous amount of satisfaction to the officer himself apart from
providing much needed succor to the person concerned. Over a period of
time such officers are respected and remembered. They become role
models for others.

 The rich and influential are capable of looking after themselves. It is the
poor that need to be taken care of. Not all laws and rules are clearly
defined. If a law needs to be interpreted, it should be done in the interest
of the poor. A civil servant is expected to do that.

 It is also the job of a civil servant to protect the interests of the

organisation to which he belongs. This may, on occasions, entail some
sacrifice on his behalf. It would not only be ethical on his part to do so but
it would also be practically beneficial as it could set example for others to
make similar sacrifices. Conduct of each officer is closely observed by
those around him. Hence, he should be seen as taking a lead.
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 If an officer does not protect his colleagues and subordinates, he cannot be formally
penalised. However, it is ethically incumbent upon him to protect them from unwarranted
harassment or victimisation. Yet again, such a conduct will be beneficial to the officer himself
even otherwise as he will be perceived as a person who stands by his colleagues. He will be
recognised and revered for his conduct. In doing so he will be displaying a leadership trait as
well.

 Appreciating good work is not only ethically warranted but also creates positive energy
amongst team members. Everyone wants to be complimented but, more often than not, we
are found wanting in appreciating good work done by others. In this case too, it is not only
ethically desirable for a civil servant to be appreciative of good work but it is practical as well.
It boosts the morale of the team members.

 The key question, therefore, is: why should a civil servant become ethical in his behaviour?
The first step would be to appreciate the fact that ethical behaviour is the best not merely in
the context of morality but is also the best in the context of his own career prospects.
Reputation of an officer gets built on the basis of his ethical conduct that can stand him in
good stead in the future. Moreover, ethical behaviour also imparts an enormous amount of
moral authority to the concerned officer. His team will follow him wholeheartedly and not
just because he is the boss. All this will get reflected in his performance and outcomes.

 It is, therefore, beneficial for a civil servant to be ethical. It pays to be ethical.

Difference between Public Administration and
Bureaucracy
 Difference between Public Administration and
Bureaucracy
 Bureaucracy is an age-old type of government that has made due
since antiquated times; it has furnished request and continued with
solidness, trustworthiness, and soundness.

 Public Administration
• Public administration is the execution of government arrangement furthermore a
scholarly train that studies this usage and gets ready common hirelings for working
in the general population service.” Some of the different definitions which have
been offered for the term are: “the administration of open programs”; the
“interpretation of legislative issues into the truth that natives see each day.”

 Bureaucracy
• A bureaucracy is “a collection of non-elective government authorities”
and/or “an authoritative strategy making group”. Traditionally, bureaucracy
was government organization oversaw by offices staffed with nonelected
officials. Today, bureaucracy is the managerial framework overseeing any
extensive institution.
 Public Administration VS Bureaucracy
 There are some differences exist between the public administration
and bureaucracy so these are briefly explained below:

 Element:
 All bureaucratic working is an element of public administration.
 Yet not every public administration is an element of the
bureaucracy.

 History:
 In the middle of eighteen century, the concept of public
administration is given by King Frederick William I of Prussia.
 In spite of the fact that the expression “bureaucracy” was not
instituted until the mid eighteenth century, the thought of
composed and predictable authoritative frameworks is much more
established. The main conclusive development of bureaucracy is in
antiquated Sumer. Ancient Egypt likewise had an innate class of
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 Meaning:
 Public administration implies organization of element conveyed for general
public and not for a constrained or designated area.
 Bureaucracy means officers who are doled out a particular occupation.

 Kind:
 There is only one kind of public administration as there is no concept of old
and modern public administration.
 In bureaucracy, two kinds are there as one is old bureaucracy and other one
named as modern bureaucracy.

 Authorities:
 People included with public administration are chosen authorities, individuals
from the administration, a few people in common society, and even non-
benefit aggregates that perform a few administrations for the legislative unit.
 All bureaucratic structures made up of non-chose authorities with settled
purview and they are also responsible for implementations of different
policies.
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 Rules:
 Public administration implies effective organization inside of the standard
rules and regulations.
 Bureaucracy means authorizing something out of authority propriety and
rules or regulations.

 Policies:
 Public administration alludes to where policies and actions of government
are been making to define and actualize.
 Bureaucracy is the entirety of where that types of policies are been figured
incorporate those individuals involved.

 Phenomena or function:
 Public administration can be say as a function.
 Bureaucracy can be say negative phenomena connected with public
administration.
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 Degree:
 Many universities are offering the masters degree in
public administration i.e. MPA or MBA.
 No university is offering degree on bureaucracy.

 Branches:
 There are five main branches or pillars on which
public administration is working.
 There are no main branches of bureaucracy.
 Present Realities of Bangladesh Bureaucracy
 Failure of Reform Effort—. Bangladesh embarked on the administrative reform
initiatives shortly after its independence in 1971, through a slight sign of actual
development, But the recent history of Public Administration Reforms has become
nothing more than a series of reform proposals and studies. Different groups and
some of the person’s information were prepared on the initiative of a number of
the significant development associates, chiefly the World Bank, the UN
Development Programme (UNDP), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the
Department for International Development (DFID), and the US Agency for
International Development (USAID)

 Cosmetic Change— In Bangladesh the system of government is usually careful as a

congested system, which aims to oppose change. To initiate substantive
improvements and optional modernisms every administrative reform committee
has attempted. The Administrative reform committee named the Public
Administration Reform Commission (PARC) that projected the provision of
performance criteria and mentioned about the citizen’s charter for important five
organizations and three ministries; the constitution of three clusters of closely
related ministries—economic, socio-political and general infrastructure; and three
public service commission’s formation—general, technical and educational
services. It is necessary to focus that any of these recommendations have been
executed .
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 Elitism in Bureaucracy—The Bangladesh civil service shows the promises
of an established bureaucracy. The bureaucracy as an elite thing and its
approaches and the bureaucracy’s principles, objectives and social
relations have helped its institutionalization and accustomed its dealings
with other organizations in society. Repeated government failures in the
previous periods and miserable performance by consecutive political
leadership unsuspectingly constrained the people to be dependent on the
more ‘strong’ bureaucracy.

 Politicization of Bureaucracy— The bureaucratic culture in the nation is

seriously grieved as a consequence of politicization of the organization.
There were a large number of promotions and transfers of the civil
servants at the previous time, completely on political concerns. Such
condition backs to the inequity and poor dissemination of public service,
which inclines to in turn breed corruption, conspiracy and nepotism. A
consecutive government by politicization of the bureaucracy has shaped a
basically dysfunctional and demoralized employee.
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 Corruption—Corruption is everywhere in Bangladesh. Yet corruption has
been a part of our politico-administrative tradition. The most common
form of corruption is financial bribes. The other forms of corruption are:
misuse of authority, partiality, nepotism, deception, patronage, stealing
and treachery. The level of corruption differs subject to how powerful a
position, the individual civil servant holds. The citizens have believed the
blatant truth that not anything changes without sufficiently satisfying the
related civil servant.

 Bureaucratic Resistance— The matter of all-inclusive administrative

reform has realized in the setting of the role and effect of the public
bureaucracy.. Most civil servants assume a protective outlook in the
direction of the prevailing power alignment, which typically welfares
entrusted interest groups as well as themselves. They perceive the reform
efforts as decline their existing rank, locus, and power and arrange
opposition to discourage reform execution. Fragile political leadership
promotes, supports bureaucratic resistance to administrative changes.
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 Factionalism in the Public Sector—The deep-rooted factionalism has many
extents: conflict between the generalists and the specialists, spoils system,
contestants versus recruits through competitive examinations, freedom
fighters as opposed to non-freedom fighters, pro-Awami league as opposed
to pro- Bangladesh Nationalist Party(BNP), civil servants, civil servants with
a military related contrasted with civil servants with civilian experiences,
and factionalism constructed on district attachment. All these sets, bargain
with the political leadership concerning difficulties disturbing their own
interests.

 Unproductive Public Management Practices—In most of developing

countries, as well as Bangladesh, rule of law, concrete official agendas,
suitable mechanism arrangements, checks and balances, the civil service
system, and responsibility systems are unproductive. Western countries are
currently demanding to amendment the principles of classical organization
theory by means of a system of reinventing the government. The
Bangladesh public administration has validated its insufficiencies in forming
a rule-based arrangement and administering a control arrangement,
causing frequent dysfunctional costs.
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 Centralization of Power— Bangladesh is a systematic organization.
Bureaucratic principles are categorized by the concentration of power,
exclusivity, absolutism, corruption, deficiency of responsibility and
transparency, opposition to change and the subordinate position of populaces
visa-a-visa civil servants. Concentration of authority is perceived in the. A
centralized bureaucratic structure has been constructed about four diligently
associated issues, specifically, the secretariat structure, the organized
inclination for generalists, the cadre structure and rigid and strict forms of
hierarchical position.
 Administrative Structure and Decision-making Problem— The existing
managerial structure focus the marks of British regal rule – centralized choice
making arrangement, strictly controlled superior-subordinate relations, the
strict use of rules, as well as a patron-client relationship with the populace.
Structural inflexibility, many hierarchical coatings as well as a formalistic
approach towards administrative labor has significantly slacken the choice of
making procedure and delay policy and managerial harmonization and
reforms. In its place of facilitating the execution process, guide to additional
stoppages, buck passing is a not an unusual phenomenon-and
interdepartmental discussions.
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 Gap between Bureaucrats and Citizens— There is seen an extensive gap
between bureaucrats and general citizens. On the one hand, this gap
causes from the authoritarianism of bureaucrats, on the other hand and
their severe devotion to rules, instructions and principles. The use and
explanation of instructions and rules emphasize their authoritarian
personality. Their law coordination or negligence of it is frequently
bothered for a common mass. Rules and regulations are rarely determined
excepting upon tadbir regardless of their option to make sure of it.

 Lack of Transparency— The propensity to spot the whole thing

undisclosed and keeps citizens in the shadowy position about resolutions
taken by the civil servants existed in traditionalism with the vice regal
method familiarized in India by the British. The administration was
considered to work merely the regal concern. Therefore, the matters of
transparency in administrative actions and assessments were neither
appropriate nor significant in that specific situation.
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 Lack of Accountability— Making the civil servants accountable for their
activities has demonstrated to be a challenging job in Bangladesh. Old
apparatuses including hierarchy and supervision have frequently
unsuccessful to achieve success. Accountability devices are whichever still
not in position and they do not work properly. They are typically present
in paper only.

 Problems of Recruitment— The bureaucracy was basically a tool of the

colonial masters throughout colonial periods. Aimed at their particular
determinations, the colonial rules retained superior importance on
creating the bureaucracy an exclusive and systematized power entirely
isolated from the society. The bureaucracy continued a resilient and
extremely settled state device at independence
 Recommendations
 Public service areas are still subjective by the hereditary organizations and
practices.. There is an aggregate mandate for well-timed and excellent
service from the public sector. In the prevailing situation some positive
steps are essential to be taken to reorganize the public service. These are:
 A mission speech in the civil service may aid to create a perfect sense of
track and promise for civil servants functioning in diverse divisions within
an institution;
 Motivation amongst public servants for a feeling of association in the
organization;
 Shifting socio-economic situation, particularly increasing necessities for
transparency have need of the government for evaluation and amend
devices to confirm that public servant's behavior in consistent with ideals
and standards;
 Reinforce and harmonize regime’s determinations to generate a well-
functioning bureaucracy;
 It is an extreme necessity of the contemporary time and will remain to
inhabit a vital room in any upcoming reform plan;
 Continue
 Promoting and maintaining gender equality is at the top of the reform
agenda in many countries, Bangladesh is in the line of increasing needs for
gender equality;
 Well-organized and efficient working of the civil service necessitates
optimal operation of IT technology;
 In the existing recruitment rule, there are three methods of recruitment:
direct recruitment through open competitive examinations, through
promotion and transfer. Class I Officers are employed straight by the PSC by
an open competitive examination into 28 cadres and the additional
government service area. Thus, recruitments should be apparent and
impartial;
 The assurance of political leadership can act as a powerful force after the
execution of administrative reform initiatives. But, in the context of
Bangladesh, political leadership is responsible for distracting the
comprehensive reform agendas;
 In its place of executing broad-based reform agendas, the successive
governments should be interested in small targets, which they can fulfill
and keep concentrating on the targets;
 Continue
 Politicization of administration as a phenomenon is common in almost all
countries, it has taken a horrible situation in Bangladesh and its
consequences are damaging the fundamentals of the organization. The
huge influence of politicization is needed to reduce and to apply the
reform of the bureaucracy and install the NPM model.
 Administrative reforms essential to be concentrated on the portion of the
government in power. It is now a big point for those successive
governments in Bangladesh who have dejectedly become unsuccessful to
prove their capability;
 Corruption eradication should be the state's number one important step
to be taken into consideration against the alarming rise of political and
administrative corruption and its diverse possessions on the society on the
whole.
 Conclusion

 Bureaucratization refers to the process of organizing institutions efficiently through a

specialized division of labor and well-defined rules.

 Schools, private corporations, and government agencies are all examples of

bureaucracy. They are large and complex organizations that benefit from the rational
ways in which bureaucracies operate.

 Despite their advantages, bureaucracies can also lead to red tape and bureaucratic
inertia. However, they are a necessary aspect of modern society, and with careful
management, they can be effective and efficient.

 Well, we can roughly say that the part of bureaucrats cannot be overlooked in
Bangladesh as a developing country. They play a very important role in our society, the
administration and efficient modification. Organizational development is not an easy
job, predominantly in a state like Bangladesh which is beset with diverse complications.

 Bureaucrats are playing the role of a vibrant protagonist for the progress of the country.
The productivity, efficiency and responsibility of the executive also rose to the range of
time.
 References

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Dergisi. 14(2),35-51.

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Uncertainty Reduction: An Ignored Element of Bureaucratic Rationality.
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• Merton, R. K. (1940). “Bureaucratic structure and personality”. Social Forces, 18(4).

Oxford University Press.

• Khan, M. M. (2009). Bureaucratic Self Preservation. Dhaka: Dhaka Viswavidyalay

Prakashana Samstha.

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BRAC University Press.