According to Webster’s New World Dictionary (Agnes, 2003, p. 662), one definition of teamwork is “joint action by a group of people.” I believe this is accurate, especially since every member of a marching band has some higher goal to work for. If the band works well together, the final performance might have fewer mistakes. The dictionary (Agnes, 2003, p. 88) also says that one definition of bureaucracy is “the concentration of authority in administrative bureaus.”
Starting in my freshman year of high school, I was part of the marching band. We learned how to do the drills, and play the music. We also learned how to rely on our squad members to find our positions on the field. As an individual, I learned that there is a type of bureaucracy in marching band. If a squad did not listen to the drum majors or the director, the whole band would be required to redo the drill. However, if the band listened to all of the directions, the final performance would turn out even better.
Depending on the director, all of the band members could receive punishment for a squad or a section not doing what they are supposed to do. Although the band might be punished collectively, this could help the band figure out what looked well and what didn’t. Teamwork in marching band shows how well the entire band can work as a team and whether or not they can work out any mistakes in their performance. Bureaucracy should exist in a marching band, for if bureaucracy didn’t exist, the band members would have no clue what is or is not to be expected of them. It would also be difficult to work through different practices without the higher ranks.
In class, I learned what different forms bureaucracy can take, and how well people can work together. Wh...
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... M. (2003). Bureaucracy. In Webster's New World dictionary (p. 88). New York, NY: Pocket Books.
Agnes, M. (2003). Teamwork. In Webster's New World dictionary (p. 662). New York, NY: Pocket Books.
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Often, when the discussion of American bureaucracy is broached in conversation, those holding these conversations often think of the many men and women who operate behind the scenes within the government. This same cross section of Americans is looked upon as the real power within the federal government and unlike the other branches of government, has little to no oversight. A search of EBSCO resulted in the following definition, an organization “structure with a rigid hierarchy of personnel, regulated by set rules and procedures” (Bureaucracy, 2007). Max Weber believed that a bureaucracy was technically the most efficient form of organization, one structured around official functions that are bound by rules, each function having its own specified competence (2007). This wide ranging group of Americans has operated within the gaps, behind the scenes, all under the three core branches of government: the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The division of government into three branches and separate powers gives each branch both exclusive powers and some additional power...
Teamwork: As we learned in class teamwork is a process of number of people working together to achieve one objective. It is the most important part of any business. Teamwork means that people will try to cooperate, using their individual skills and providing constructive feedback, despite any personal conflict between individuals. As we all know team work is involved everywhere in all walks of life. Teamwork improves
Hall, Daniel E. Administrative Law: Bureaucracy in a Democracy. 5th ed. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2012. Print.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a team as: “a number of persons associated together in work or activity,” or “a group of people who work together.” In the current information age more companies are relying on teams to solve challenging tasks and to reach more difficult goals. Since a team of professionals with varying expertise can produce solutions that an individual working alone would likely struggle with, it is no wonder teamwork is becoming increasingly valuable to companies across all industries.
Max Weber, German sociologist, social theorist, and economist, explicated the theory of bureaucracy in which he details the monocratic bureaucracy “as an ideal form that maximized rationality” (Bolman & Deal, 2008, p. 48). He provided his most complete exposition of theory in his 1922 tome Economy and Society (Casey, 2004). This classic form of bureaucracy is characterized by the following (a) well-defined official functions; (b) specialization of function; (c) clearly defined hierarchy of offices; (d) rules governing performance, which require training to administer; (e) impersonal treatment of clients, in that all are treated equally; (f) merit as the basis of promotion or appointment; (g) compensation based on rank; (h) separation of personal and company assets and interests; (i) discipline and control of daily work; (j) files and record keeping for decisions, acts, and rules (Bolman & Deal, 2008; O’Connor, 2011). There are numerous shorthand versions of Weber’s theory including Harmon and Mayer (1986) in Organization Theory for Public Administration and Heady (2001) in Public Administration: A Comparative Perspective (O’Connor, 2011).
Modern Bureaucracy in the United States serves to administer, gather information, conduct investigations, regulate, and license. Once set up, a bureaucracy is inherently conservative. The reason the bureaucracy was initiated may not continue to exist as a need in the future. The need or reason may change with a change in the times and the culture needs. A bureaucracy tends to make decisions that protect it and further it’s own existence, possibly apart from the wishes of the populace. It may not consistently reflect what might be optimal in terms of the needs and wants of the people. Local governments employ most of the United States civil servants. The 14 cabinet departments in the U.S. are run day-to-day by career civil servants, which have a great deal of discretionary authority.
I remember my first year in band. We were introduced to the leaders in the band and what their jobs were. The captains are in charge of the different sections in band, while the drum majors were in charge of the captains and all the band students. They were described as “the model band member”; what the band directors hoped every student to aspire to be. The leaders were supposed to deal with conflict, control the practices, teach students to be better musicians, and to make the band a more united group.
Larson, C. and LaFasto, F. (1989), Teamwork: What Must Go Right/What Can Go Wrong. Newberry Park, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Stewart, G., Manz, C., & Sims, H., (1999). Teamwork and Group Dynamics. New York: Wiley. pp. 70- 125.
Hierarchy: A major feature of bureaucracy is that there is an organizational structure arranged in a pyramidal or hierarchical form where each official has a clearly defined area of competence with a clear division of labour; each individual is answerable for his or her performance to a superior
A team can be defined as a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performing goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable (Katzenbach & Smith, The Wisdom of Teams 2015). A team can also be defined as a group in which members work together intensively to achieve a common group goal (Lewis-McClear & Taylor 1998). According to the class lecture, teams can improve competitiveness, improve productivity, improve quality, provide backup for key skills, enhance
Bureaucracy is an organizational design based on the concept of standardization. “It is characterized by highly routine operating tasks achieved through specialization, very formalized rules and regulations, tasks that are grouped into functional departments, centralized authority, narrow spans of control, and decision making that follows the chain of command” (Judge & Robbins, 2007, p.
Working in teams provides an opportunity for individuals to come together and establish a rapport towards others within a group. Teamwork is classified as people with different strengths and skills who work together to achieve a common goal. When a team works well, specific objectives are fulfilled and satisfied. Teamwork plays a crucial role in implementing and fulfilling a common goal in a team project. Each member plays a role and takes on different responsibilities combined together. In different stages of teamwork, conflicts and arguments may occur for as members have different standpoints which need to be harmonized within the team. The key to having an effective teamwork is to explore each member's unique abilities to motivate them.
A work team will be defined for the purposes of this paper by a definition borrowed from Bateman and Snell (2004). A team is formed of people (usually a small number) with complementary skills who trust one another and are committed to a common purpose, common performance goals, and a common approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. Teams generally see themselves and are seen by others as a social entity, which is interdependent because of the tasks performed as members of a group.
Organizations use teamwork because it increases productivity. This concept was used in corporations as early as the 1920s, but it has become increasingly important in recent years as employ...