An Approach to the Study of Bureaucracy

Abstract

Sociology needs precise, comparative, reliable data. This requires the splitting down of unitary `grand' concepts into operationally defined variables, fashioned to attack particular problems, and amenable to multivariate statistical analysis. This approach can be exemplified in the study of bureaucracy by the development of scaleable dimensions of organization structure such as specialization. This concept has been operationally defined, and a comparative analysis across 52 work organizations of the degree of `functional specialization' and of `role specialization' within each function, has yielded 17 scales on which to base a profile, characteristic of each organization. An `overall specialization scale', obtained by factor analysis, gives a range of scores in the sample from 0 (no specialists) to 87 (an extremely high degree of role specialization within the organization). Using size and technology as independent variables, a prediction analysis gives a multiple correlation with overall role specialization of 0-81.