Simple English definitions for legal terms
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Bureaucracy: A way of organizing work that involves a lot of rules and procedures. It is used by big companies and government offices. Bureaucracy means that people who work there follow the rules and do their jobs in a certain way. Sometimes, this can make things slow and inflexible. It can also give too much power to the people who work there.
Bureaucracy is a type of work organization that is characterized by a lot of rules and procedures. It is used by both public institutions and corporations. The term comes from the French word "bureau," which means writing desk, and the Latin word "-cracy," which means power.
Max Weber, a sociologist, defined bureaucracy as a form of organization that is run by non-elected government officials. However, today, it is understood as an administrative system used by many different types of organizations.
Some people criticize bureaucracy because it can be very rigid and heavy. This means that it can be difficult to change the rules and procedures, even if they are not working well. Some people also worry that bureaucrats (people who work in a bureaucracy) might use their power to benefit themselves instead of the organization they work for.
These examples illustrate the definition of bureaucracy because they all involve a lot of rules and procedures that are used to organize work. In a government agency, for example, there might be rules about how to apply for a permit or how to file a complaint. In a corporation, there might be rules about how to get promoted or how to report a problem to management. In a school district, there might be rules about how to teach a certain subject or how to discipline a student.
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