What are the three defining characteristics of a bureaucracy?

Answer 1

Bureaucracies had certain tendencies that are both positive and negative.

Here are some examples:

Positives:

A. Often a bureaucracy tends to have long term employees. This is a positive as the organization is almost certain to have a large degree of expertise in the area they are a part of; and

B. In many bureaucracies, the employees had to pass rigorous examinations in order to qualify for a job, to a degree a well run bureaucracy has people who are qualified for their jobs.

Negatives of bureaucracies:

A. Often bureaucracies tend to find ways to enlarge itself. This causes extra salary expenses and unneeded layers of government that slows the work of a government down;

B. Often politicians use bureaucracy's to reward their friends. They help appoint people to bureaucracies who will benefit themselves; and

C. The result of the above statement can have employees that are unqualified.

Answer 2

There are actually 6 characteristics, or principles, of bureaucracy, according to Max Weber. They are:
A formal hierarchical structure
Management by rules
Organization by functional specialty
An "up-focused" or "in-focused" mission
Purposely impersonal
Employment based on technical qualifications

Answer 3

Hierarchical Authority (chain of command shaped like a pyramid), Job Specialization, and Formalized Roles in Government (titles).

Answer 4

One of the main characteristics of a bureaucracy is authority that is hierarchical. The other two characteristics are job specialization, and formalized rules.

Answer 5

they have complex procedures