Max Weber's Iron Cage For Bureaucracy

One figure in American history immediately stands out. When comparing Moses to a charismatic leader, it is hard not to reflect on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There are so many similarities between these two historical figures. They both had a mission to free a people from oppression. They also surrounded themselves with the right people. Both these leaders could implement active patience. Most of all, these two leaders embraced the will of God.

The purpose of this essay is to analyse Weber’s theory of authority and power in order to establish its role in the modern contemporary world today. Weber, in his most acclaimed writings, discusses his three ideal types of authority being outlined as traditional, charismatic and rational-legal authority. He believes that in order for any political leader or political establishment to hold legitimate authority over its peoples, they must have either one of these types of authority. All of these types of power and authority can be referred to in some way in today’s contemporary world using examples of differing political leaders and systems. However, Weber’s writings were conducted in 1922 and may be considered as out-dated, and not as relevant as they were at his time of writing. Also, many dispute that Weber’s types of authority were perhaps not entirely relatable and Martin Spencer, like many other critics of Weber’s work in fact argue that there should have been four types of authority. Hence why these issues must be discussed in order to conclude whether Weber’s ideal types of authority are representative of political leaders and governments, and whether or not they can be associated with the contemporary world we live in today.

Another great leadership ability that Lincoln possessed was his ability to appoint the right people for the right jobs in his Cabinet. Even though they were some of the greatest minds of his time, some of his Cabinet members were also some of his biggest political adversaries. Through his great leadership, he was able to assemble this group and to pull them together to make it work. Lincoln also had the ability to make a mistake, learn from it and then move on, creating an environment of learning in his administration. Also, when the administration was successful, Lincoln was willing to share the credit with his administration, not taking all the credit for himself. This ability can be a great motivator, since it gives people a sense of accomplishment (Moreton, 2008).

FDR's leadership, as well as the other leaders discussed in our text, are individuals whom are a learning tool for the future. As demonstrated throughout history, leaders and society continually learn from our progress, development, and our continue to evolve effectively. History has taught us that it is wise to learn from our past. In this specific case, learning and teaching ourselves of the traits and leadership that FDR possessed is an important lesson in understanding how leadership evolved to where it stands today. FDR also teaches us about the effectiveness of visionary charismatic leadership, and the impressive obstacles that can be conquered using this specific set of character strengths.

Lincoln on Leadership is a book that discusses all of Abraham Lincoln’s leadership styles and strategies and talks about how successful he was because of these attributes as our President. The main character of the book is President Abraham Lincoln. He grew up in a poor background and worked his way to where he was as President. Lincoln tried many careers such as a postmaster, a surveyor, and a lawyer so that he could have a life of success. He always learned from his failures and worked very hard to make it in life because he was from such a disadvantaged background. He was devoted to human rights, innovation, and compassion. He was an amazing leader with leadership styles that kept the United States as one. Leaders today should be able to use these guidelines and to try to an effective leader no matter what setting this is in whether it is business, politics, or healthcare.

However, despite Max Weber’s theory that bureaucracies are like iron “iron cages” that are a efficient form of administration. Prior to modern government reform patronage, spoils, and bribery were just part of the political environment for Public Administrators. In today’s, modern government Public Administrators are hired based on the merit and technical qualifications that secure the individual can carry out the duties of the office. However, Public Administrators are forced to work in a hierarchical organization

The environment and the state of affairs in which Max Weber developed the theory of bureaucracy were different from the present welfare states. Modern states are complex and difficult to maintain thus the validity of bureaucracy is questioned in the face of these challenges.

A historical example that demonstrates Charismatic Authority is Adolf Hitler. In the eyes of Germans, Hitler was viewed as the savior of the country. This was because Hitler wanted to restore Germany to the

James MacGregor Burns said it best, “Leadership is leaders inducing followers to act for certain goals that represent the values and the motivations-the wants and needs, the aspirations and expectations-of both leaders and followers. And the genius of leadership lies in the manner in which leaders see and act on their own and their fellow 's values and motivations”. As one reads this statement, one naturally reflects on personal leader experiences or ones learned through academic or professional studies. Abraham Lincoln, especially during his presidency, exemplified Burns definition of a leader.

Through analyzing the written works of Max Weber’s Types of Legitimate Domination and Bureaucracy to C. Wright Mills’ The Sociological Imagination, the writings of the comparative authors reveal the domination of power in a socially constructed society and the way that individuals are influenced by the constructed hierarchy of power. Through sociological analysis, these concepts can be applied to the ways individuals are continuously influenced through socially constructed institutions in a society where individuals constantly interact with one another. As Mills and Weber apply sociological analysis to the context of their observations, they are able to observe the growing positive and negative influences that ultimately shape the

Bryman, A., 1993, ‘Charismatic leadership in business organisations: some neglected issues’, Leadership Quarterly, vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 289-304.

Many great leaders have one thing in common and that is charisma. Charismatic leaders are those that have the capability to inspire and encourage people to do more than they would normally do, despite obstacles and personal sacrifice. (Daft, R.L, pg. 364) Charisma is what provokes energy and commitment out of its followers. These leaders possess the power to motivate their followers to do almost anything. They create an atmosphere of change and express an ideal vision of a better future. The most common characteristics of the charismatic leader involve maturity, communication, humility, and inspiration. These unique qualities impact their followers and conduct themselves in such a way that allows for remarkable results. Then

Finally, charismatic authority arises in periods of social unrest and change and thus depends not only on the existence of this `exceptional' individual but a social context which produces large numbers of individuals who are `disenchanted' with the present social institutions. Charisma, is in Weber's view ` a great revolutionary force' for social change. Charismatic movements always seek to dismantle or overthrow existing/traditional forms of authority and power. Finally, Weber suggests charismatic authority as inherently unstable since it is usually based upon a `personality cult' of the leader. When the leader dies then the movement will `die' with him/her or ossify and institutionalise itself into what Weber refers to as `the charisma of office': bureaucracy! Look at Fig. 1, (at the bottom of page 2 of this document) which I have taken and adapted from Bryan Turner's book. To understand the historical process we will need to begin with the `magician' and move `clockwise' towards `secular man'.

This authority rests on the appeal of the leader. At the same time this form of authority has its own drawbacks. It is unstable and it deteriorates if the leader is unable to bring about the changes he promised to bring. This is what we concluded from the case study by Rakesh Khurana as well. John McCoy, the CEO of Bank One was a very charismatic leader. He brought about a huge change in the Bank's financial and economic position. His attitude helped the bank to expand and take over First Chicago. But as and when McCoy's attitude changed, people saw a change in the services of Bank One which had started faltering. His laid-back attitude finally led to his removal from the post of CEO by his own board of members.

Researchers have proposed several characteristics of leaders described as ‘charismatic’. The widely accepted characteristics of charismatic leaders are (Bryman et al., 2011, p. 90-91):