Approaches to the Iron Cage

Is there a metaphor for bureaucracy relevant to organizations in the 1990s? The author explores this question by reconstructing Weber's "iron cage. " After defining bureaucracy using the two traditional metaphors, the author sets forth the notion of the iron cage as playground apparatus. This metaphor is developed in an idiosyncratic vignette. The author stresses that the "monkey bars" (bureaucratic structures) are, in themselves, neutral but become whatever we make them by the imposition of our visions, values, and vitalities. The author closes by defending his metaphoras worthy of investigation by public administration scholars and practitioners.