Final answer:
The three main characteristics of a bureaucracy are hierarchy for efficient decision-making, specialization for effective task completion, and formal rules for consistency and fairness. These features are meant to enhance organizational efficiency within complex institutions. The correct answer is option a) Hierarchy, specialization, and formal rules; they enhance organizational efficiency.
Step-by-step explanation:
The three main characteristics of a bureaucracy are hierarchy, specialization, and formal rules. These features are essential for various reasons:
- Hierarchy establishes a clear chain of command, ensuring that decisions are made efficiently, and responsibilities are clearly defined within the organization.
- Specialization allows for a division of labor, where tasks are assigned to individuals or groups based on expertise, resulting in greater efficiency and effectiveness in performing complex tasks.
- Formal rules provide a consistent and predictable framework that guides the operation of a bureaucracy, helping to avoid favoritism and ensuring standardized processes and treatment for all.
These characteristics enhance the organizational efficiency and are particularly important in large, complex organizations, whether in the public or private sector. However, they may also contribute to the commonly cited downsides of bureaucracies, such as rigidity, impersonality, and resistance to change.