Managing People & Organizations: Post-Bureaucratic Management

This essay discusses the evolution of organizational management practices, structures, and processes with the advancement of post-bureaucratic management approaches. It highlights the flaws in bureaucratic management that led to the adoption of post-bureaucratic styles, emphasizing decentralized decision-making, workforce diversity, and the management of sustainability through ethics and corporate social responsibility. The essay explores how these changes have enabled organizations to handle dynamic situations effectively and promote innovation and knowledge management. It also addresses the challenges of increased competition and unethical practices, while underscoring the importance of communication and employee engagement in achieving sustainable growth and overall organizational development. The analysis concludes that post-bureaucratic management empowers individuals, fosters positive workplace environments, and enhances organizational performance by aligning employee efforts with the organizational vision.

Running Head: Managing People and Organization
Managing People and Organization

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Table of Contents
Discuss how managing organisational practices, structures and processes have changed
with the advance of post-bureaucratic management approaches......................................................2
References................................................................................................................................................................. 5

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Discuss how managing organisational practices, structures and processes have
changed with the advance of post-bureaucratic management approaches.
With the effect of post-bureaucratic management approaches, various business
functionalities have changed and this has brought revolutionary improvement in the
business’ performance. Post-bureaucratic management approaches have not only
enhanced organizational performance but it has also originated several opportunities for
the employees to enhance their performance as well as to move towards overall
development. Employee interaction within the organizational functionalities, workforce
diversity and expansion of business entities are some of the big advantages of post-
bureaucratic management approaches (Adler, 1992).
Primary factor which have forced organization to move towards post- bureaucratic
management approaches is the flaws in the bureaucratic management style. With the effect
of post- bureaucratic management style, leaders have been appointed at different levels in
order to accomplish the goals department wise. Apart from this, there are various other
advantages of post- bureaucratic style of management in different contexts such as it has
helped in terms of managing cultures, managing employees, managing sustainability in
terms of ethics and corporate social responsibility and in terms of managing change,
innovation and knowledge. With respect to these changes, organizations have become
capable enough to deal with dynamic situations in an effective manner. Along with this,
post- bureaucratic management approaches have enabled organization to determine the
responsible persons for their actions. Post- bureaucratic management approaches have
lead the organizations towards development phase because prior to that, only one person
on the superior position was responsible and accountable to take decisions along with
making changes in the policies of the organization. This was bit time consuming as well as
risky process because one person could not always be right in all circumstances, thus,
chances for failure were high. But after the implementation of post- bureaucratic
approaches, decentralised decision making processes are being processed under which all
relevant stakeholders are engaged in the decision making processes (Gavin & Mason,

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2004). This has helped the organizations to determine all the available options which could
be adopted in order to deal with diverse situations.
Apart from this, workplace culture as well as other attributes of the organization has also
become positive element in terms of enhancing organizational performance. This is
because post- bureaucratic management approaches has lead the organization to develop
workforce diversity at workplace which is efficient for enhancing organizational
performance along with originating several opportunities for the businesses to expand its
operations at international level. Workforce diversity is one of the major elements in
relevance with expansion and growth of the business entities at international level.
Workforce diversity has embraced organizational cultures which have resulted in
decreasing labour turnover along with the maintenance of effective relationships amongst
employees and management (Werther, 1985). Post- bureaucratic management approaches
are the result of change management and as change is necessary for the business practices
to deal with dynamic situations as well as to sustain for longer period of time, in the same
manner; bureaucratic management approaches were requiring changes in relevance with
enhancing organizational performance (Godwyn & Hoffer Gittell, 2012). Although, these
approaches have also lead to originate several challenges for the organizations such as high
competitive business conditions, standard of business entities and the unethical practices
to win the race of competition. Prior to the post- bureaucratic management approaches,
scope for innovation and creativity was very less because decisions were taken at the top
level only and only few employees were given the opportunity to be the part of top level
management.
But now things have changed and every department has its own leaders and sub-leaders
which could take any type of decisions as per the organizational policies and standards
with the objective of gaining positive outcomes. This has reduced burden from top level
management and they could work towards other factors like improving organizational
performance and introducing new schemes for motivating employees through which
employee engagement and coordination amongst teammates could be enhanced for the
motive of enhancing organizational performance. With respect to this, nowadays, top level

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management look forward to move towards sustainable growth and overall development
in relation with adaptation of advance approaches to enhance organizational performance
as well as to make the workplace environment safe and secure (Helene, 2018). Apart from
this, management also focus towards increasing coordination amongst the employees so
that their efforts could be aligned with the organizational vision.
Post- bureaucratic management approaches have also helped the organizations to manage
sustainability in relevance with the ethics as well as the corporate social responsibility
which are meant to be the effective elements for enhancing organizational performance.
Ethics are the major elements through which organizations could easily move towards
sustainable growth because ethics play vital role in terms of dealing with all employees in
fair manner, making relevant decisions to attain long term goals, focusing on future
outcomes rather than focusing towards short term goals (Josserand, Teo & Clegg, 2006).
Apart from this, ethics are also essential in terms of building brand loyalty amongst the
target audience and commentating with the other companies. Although, several companies
have move towards unethical practices along with post- bureaucratic management
approaches with the objective of enhancing organizational performance at fast pace but
this type of practices only works for short time period. Post- bureaucratic management
approaches have also played vital role in the organizational functionalities in terms of
fulfilling corporate social responsibilities as it helps the organizations to deal with different
elements such as economic, social and environmental. All these elements are necessary for
the development and growth of organization. Corporate social responsibilities have been a
major trend for the organizational performance due to increasing issues in relevance with
the society and environment (Langley, 2016). It is the duty of organizations to fulfil
requirements of all aspects which are surrounded by them in order to develop and
maintain goodwill of the organization.
Communication is one of the major elements for organizational success and growth and the
requirement of communication is increasing rapidly through which various communication
tools have been originated. In bureaucratic management approaches, organizations were
mainly focused over one or two communication tools to coordinate with their employees as

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well as to cope up with the business trends and to communicate with certain external
stakeholders (Styhre, 2008). But with the effect post- bureaucratic management
approaches, organizations takes along all their stakeholders with the motive of keeping
them updated regarding organizational functionalities. This practice is also essential in
terms of building appropriate relationships with them along with the development of
effective relations with them. This helps the organization to deal with the dynamic business
situations as well as to move towards sustainable growth and development (McKenna,
Garcia-Lorenzo & Bridgman, 2010). Apart from this, communication is treated as one of the
most effective and efficient factor for enhancing organization performance as it helps in
developing coordination between the employees as well as to engage employees in the
organizational practices as well as in terms of aligning employees’ efforts with the
organizational vision.
Post- bureaucratic management approaches also plays vital role in terms of managing
knowledge, innovative practices and the change management with respect to increasing
organizational performance. Primary objective behind improving knowledge of employees
and developing innovative skills amongst them, post- bureaucratic management
approaches gives right to every individual at workplace to think out of the box in order to
originate new ideas for the objective of enhancing organizational performance (Senna,
2013). Apart from this, it has been observed that organizational practices requires change
after certain point of time and with respect to these changes, organizational top level
management seeks for new approaches, innovative ideas and creative thinking (Robinson,
2018). On top of that, it is required for the management to deal with the diverse situations
at workplaces along with the development of positive workplace environment. Post-
bureaucratic management approaches are the result of change management and this
creates positive impact over organizational performance.
The advancement of post-bureaucratic management approaches has empowered
individuals to construct an efficient workplace by implementing motivational strategies by
focusing on the employee wellbeing and their different values. Despite the struggle with
the change of management approach, and discovering the hardships linked with

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bureaucratic management approaches, the success of post-bureaucratic management has
resulted in the formation of effective relations with the employees and management and
this has also generated positive outcomes for the organization (Sageer, Rafat & Agarwal,
2012).

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References
Adler, P. 1992, The Learning Bureaucracy: New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. University
of Southern California, draft 3.1, pp 59.
Gavin, J. & Mason, R. 2004, The Value of Happiness in the Workplace, Organizational
Dynamics, 33(4), pp. 379–392.
Godwyn, M. & Hoffer Gittell, J. 2012, Sociology of Organizations Structure and Relationships,
SAGE, pp. 102.
Helene, P. 2018, Liberation and alienation in post-bureaucratic management systems: A case
study of COOKIZ, the factory “with no chiefs”, AIMS.
Josserand, E., Teo, S. & Clegg, S. 2006, From bureaucratic to post-bureaucratic: The
difficulties of transition, Journal of Organizational Change Management, 19(1), pp. 54-64.
Langley, S. 2016, Positive Leadership a Framework for Boosting Organisational Performance,
Langley Group.
McKenna, S., Garcia-Lorenzo, L. & Bridgman, T. 2010, Managing, managerial control and
managerial identity in the post-bureaucratic world, The Journal of Management
Development, 29(2), pp. 128-136.

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Robinson, A. 2018, Want to Boost Your Bottom Line? Encourage Your Employees to Work on
Side Projects, INC. Available at: https://www.inc.com/adam-robinson/google-employees-
dedicate-20-percent-of-their-time-to-side-projects-heres-how-it-works.html
Sageer, A., Rafat, S. & Agarwal, P. 2012, Identification of Variables Affecting Employee
Satisfaction and Their Impact on the Organization, Journal of Business and Management,
5(1), pp. 36-37.
Senna, A. 2013, Competitive advantage Ford Motor Company, Available at:
http://wpsenna.wordpress.com/2013/06/04/competitive-advantage-ford-motor-
company/>
Styhre, A. 2008, Management Control in Bureaucratic and Post Bureaucratic Organizations,
Journal of Groups & Organisation Management, 33(6), pp. 635 – 656.
Werther, W.B. 1985, “Job 1” at Ford: Employee Co‐operation, Employee Relations, 7(1), pp.
10-16.