The word bureaucracy generally has a negative connotation. No one proudly tells their mom, “I work for a bureaucracy!”
Investopedia has an interesting definition of “bureaucracy”:
“The term bureaucracy refers to a complex organization that has multilayered systems and processes. The systems and processes that are put in place effectively make decision-making slow. They are designed to maintain uniformity and control within the organization. A bureaucracy describes the methods that are commonly established in governments and large organizations, such as corporations. A bureaucracy is pivotal in the administration of the entity’s rules and regulations.”
Every organization needs to balance fast and slow decision-making. Likewise, there should be a mix of processes designed to produce what’s valuable and creative destruction of processes which are no longer valuable.
So not all functions of bureaucracies are bad. The distinction is about competence and energy.
My observation is that bureaucracies create safe spaces for mediocre talent and unenthusiastic workers. This is a self-reinforcing cycle.
The most successful leaders insist their functional groups are loaded with top performers and keep them lean enough so they can never do everything easily or comfortably. That’s the guardrail against the worst tendencies of bureaucracies.
