The Bureaucratic Phenomenon

In The Bureaucratic Phenomenon Michel Crozier demonstrates that bureaucratic institutions need to be un-derstood in terms of the cultural context in which they operate. The originality of the study lies in its association of two widely different approaches: the theory of decision-making in large organiza-tions and the cultural analysis of social patterns of action. The book opens with a detailed examina-tion of two forms of French public serv-ice. These studies show that professional training and distortions alone cannot ex-plain the rise of routine behavior and dys-functional "vicious circles." The role of various bureaucratic systems appears to depend on the pattern of power relation-ships between groups and individuals. Crozier's findings lead him to the view that bureaucratic structures form a neces-sary protection against the risks inherent in collective action. Since systems of protection are built around basic cultural traits, the author presents a French bureaucratic model based on centralization, strata isolation, and individual sparkle-one that that can be contrasted with an American, Russian, or Japanese model. He points out how the same patterns can be found in several areas of French life: education, industrial relations, politics, business, and the colonial policy. Bureaucracy, Crozier concludes, is not a modern disease resulting from organiza-tional progress but rather a bulwark against development. The breakdown of the traditional bureaucratic system in modern France offers hope for new and fruitful forms of action.