Basic principles of post-bureaucracy are acting strategically by taking the initiative, open systems, and more effective use of social capital. Dynamic use of information and shining out of information-based power relationships are fundamental factors of post-bureaucracy. It is argued that the conventional view of bureaucracy has gradually lost its traditional status. It is incompatible with more recent and fluid images of society, the market, and the world of business. This is not merely a matter of reform or a minor change in management style, but a difference in the values of bureaucracy in the society and the relationship among various organizations. Competition, entrepreneurial approach, digitalization, networking, focusing leadership etc. are the core features of post-bureaucratic development organizations in Bangladesh. Additionally, these organizations are customer-driven, quality-concerned, result-oriented, and performance-based.
‘Fewer rules, but more accountability’ is the catch-phrase for post-bureaucratic development organization. Since the last five years, development organizations in Bangladesh have shown a trait of removing the space between themselves and their environment. In this sense, post-bureaucratic changes the form of independence and power. While the autonomy of a person working at an organization with the dominance of bureaucratic understanding shows itself as limited self-decision-making adequacy, the autonomy of a person working at a post-bureaucratic organization is determined by conditions ruling over the environment. As a result, development activists in Bangladesh can be said to be independent of a chain of command. The main principles of the post-bureaucratic development organizations in Bangladesh are providing decreasing of hierarchy, stress on flexibility instead of dependence to rules, excessive use of external resources in delivering products and services, creating more previous borders between the organization and its environment by preferring temporary working and guidance instead of permanent and single field expertise. A development activist does not have a chance of life-long employment with a pre-determined hierarchical promotion route and retirement plan. The post-bureaucratic paradigm stresses transferring the values to the customers instead of the cost control, struggle for efficiency, and unnecessary use of the resources, disorder, and patronage problems.
The dependency of the state and the people comes forward as an element that will develop the management’s efficiency and validity. In this way, it becomes possible for the development of the management’s managers to be experts in deal and management via tools such as contracts instead of direct use of the authority. Participatory methods such as getting staff members’ opinions in making decisions and giving them the right to take initiatives enable the increase in efficiency of post-bureaucratic development organizations in Bangladesh. Post bureaucratic reforms have been aimed at developing organizations to become highly flexible and react quickly in the changing environment. The strain done on aims, efficiency, and productivity of development organizations is explained in terms of competitive values. In contrast, dominancy of the post-bureaucratic statements and changing social and economic structure has revived and invigorated the expectations that development organizations will increasingly become post-bureaucratic. Consequently, development organizations are claimed to have developmental, rational, and group culture perspectives after leaving the effects of traditional bureaucratic culture.
The post-bureaucratic model appeals to three different visions of development administration- (1) the idea of participation in a ‘bottom-up’ style, (2) the concept of decentralization and control through regulatory devices, and (3) the notion that beneficiary provision should be pushed back and that private firms should supply services which are in demand on the market-place. Post-bureaucracy requires bureaucracy in development organizations of Bangladesh.
Post-bureaucracy emphasizes decentralization in development organizations of Bangladesh. It embodies a strong criticism of the bureaucratic form of organizations. It advocates a disaggregation of bureaucratic units to form a more efficient, accountable service. It is more efficient because smaller companies of activities better establish objectives and work toward achieving them more quickly and directly. It replaces the anonymous bureaucrat with visible, responsible managers who are directly accountable to the beneficiary. The two central arguments of the post-bureaucratic model are- (1) the market is the best allocator of resources, and individuals are the best judges of their welfare, and (2) market disciplines are advocated.
Inclusion with the competition is the best mechanism for improving and ensuring the quality and cost-effectiveness of development services in post-bureaucracy. It does not mean that a development service will be handed over to the private sector. Yet, the essential function of competition is ending monopolies in post-bureaucracy. When service providers are required to compete, development sector organizations keep their costs down and respond quickly to changed demands, and strive to please customers. Competition can boost or develop confidence among workers in post-bureaucratic development organizations of Bangladesh. They receive recognition when they are efficient, effective, and successful.
Competition can be found in post-bureaucracy in various forms such as- allowing development agencies to compete with private firms, having private firms compete with each other, fostering competition among agencies, etc., are some of the activities. In the digitalization era, post-bureaucratic development organizations of Bangladesh are based on information flow rather than hierarchy. Service providers to beneficiaries are grouped in post-bureaucracy. Consequently, citizens are not necessarily aware of the precise boundaries between what one agency does and another, most notably concerning service delivery.
Information in development organizations of Bangladesh is usually characterized by the stress on flexibility and participative management style. There is the continuous dialogue to create standard idea features instead of dependency on rules. Simultaneously it should be accepted as a thing shared and takes the shape of accumulated experience and learning in the organization’s culture, systems, and applications. An essential theme of the post-bureaucratic model is that Bangladesh’s development organizations should seek, as far as possible, to behave in a more business-like manner. Consequently, post-bureaucratic agencies should adopt reward structures for their employees and encompassing such mechanisms as performance-related pay and more flexible working practices. Post-bureaucratic development organizations of Bangladesh ought to be community-owned, and their role is to empower citizens and communities to exercise self-governance.
(Ms. Duetee is a development activist. E-mail: [email protected])
