Question 5 (15)

Case Study

Max Weber was one of the first researchers to identify a set of characteristics shared by many modern organisations. He developed a model, which at the time served to analyse the key elements of a complex social phenomenon, namely the bureaucracy. Generations of organisational researchers expanded the model of bureaucracy, moving beyond his focus on organisation's internal factors to include the analysis of its relationships with the external environment. Whilst the bureaucracy still works well for many organisations, for organisations operating in unstable environments it is not a suitable form of organisation because such organisations have to respond to increased local and global competition.

5.1 The traditional model of an organisation (bureaucracy) is NOT a suitable arrangement to support the needs of modern organisations. Evaluate this statement. (15)