Bureaucracy in Africa, the Journey so far.

     
                           
                       INTRODUCTION

     Bureaucracy is very common in Modern Social Life. We literally spend our lives in formal organization, moving from one bureaucracy to another eg: hospitals, schools, employed in multi-national corporations, and governed by the state and federal agencies. Surely, there are more to bureaucracy than incompetence and red tap associated to its inflows and limitations.
     Bureautically structured formal organizations enable people to work together and accomplish tasks, that they couldn't in an informal; loosely structured groups examples in the area of crucial decisions affecting our lives:- especially those having to do with economic matters and issues of war and peace.
     As the number of people involved gets larger and tasks become more diverse and complex, bureaucratic organizations become more the most efficient vehicle for social action, helping people to achieve their collective goals.
   
     THE IMPORTANCE OF BUREAUCRATIC                INNOVATION.

They help to:

• Organize large number of people in the pursuit of a goal,
• Accomplish diverse tasks simultaneously,
• Reduce opposition to an organization's aim.

 
      In the words of American sociologist Amitai Etzioni, "Our society is an organizational society". Life in modern industrial society is increasingly conducted in organizational settings, designed to realize clearly defined goals. Thus; schools are designed to transmit knowledge, hospitals to treat the sick, industrial firms to manufacture goods. Organizations are therefore, not a new invention. It differs from social units, such as the family, friendship groups and community.
     The number, size and scope of organizations, however, distinguish modern industrial societies, from their pre-industrial counterparts. In the view of many sociologists, organizations have become the dominant institutions of contemporary society. So, the spread of organization is closely related to the increasingly specialized division of labour in the society. In the earliest form of human society example Africa.
     The division of labour is rudimentary, in that men hunt and the women gather nuts, fruits, roots, and berries. In order to survive, all adult members of the band must engage in subsistent activities.
     In Africa, especially in Nigeria, the invention of Agriculture, some ten thousand years ago, provided the basis for specialized division of labour and development of bureaucratic  organization as part of the population specialized in Agricultural activities like farming. There are full time craftsmen such as potters, others are weavers, and tool makers emerged as a result of these specializations and division of labour among the community's subsistence requirements through direction and coordination.
     Also, in ancient Egypt in Africa, a permanent work force of several thousand skilled workers was formed to build pyramids. In addition, a large scale organization was developed to construct and maintain series of dykes,  canals, and ditches, which served to control and maintain the flood water of the Nile and irrigate the fields. A range of specialists were employed, they included quarrymen, overseers; their specialists tasks required direction and coordination to combine and produce an end product.
     The work of Max Weber is usually taken as a starting point in the sociology of organizations. Weber believed that a particular form of organization -Bureaucracy- is the defining of characteristics of modern industrial society. His work is mainly concerned with comparison of Bureaucracy and the forms of organization found in pre-industrial societies like Africa.
   
      Definition of BUREAUCRACY in Africa 
 
      African traditional system of government, whose origin started in the 16th century, dominated the scene of governance till 1900 A.D., when the Portuguese and the entire European countries started their expeditions in Africa. The bureaucratic system adopted during these dark ages in Africa, was firmly rooted in the traditional head of a village, clan and then down to families. Which most be obeyed by all, and sundry.
     However, they emergence of European nations colonization of African countries, caused changes in the Bureaucractic system and administration. Old systems started to give way for the new order and new rules. New system of administration of traditional leaders, started to exist and dominate in Africa.
     With critical study and consideration on the bureaucratic system in Igbo land situated in Nigeria, we were able to observe that during this period, there were Ezes, whomake laws and orders and delegate it to Chiefs strict compliance by all and sundry. Who in turn delegate the duties to the village heads and head of families for complianceby the traditional society. The women are not left out. They pass these messages to the communities in the village, through a town crier. He uses his wooden gong (ekwe) to inform the people on the need to gather in their village square for important messages from the Eze's palace for them on the appointed day. These rules are adhered to and coordinated in a hierarchical order.
 
      What is BUREAUCRACY:-
 
      The modern use of the term has deviated significantly from French derivation that simply defined Bureaucracy as ("Bureau" meaning "Desk") it refers to a cloth covering the desk of the 18th century French Monarch (Obikeze, 2004).
     BUREAUCRACY:- Max Webber (1864-1920). Believed that bureaucracy is an organization with hierarchy of paid full time officials who formed a chain of command. A bureaucracy is concerned with the business of administration - controlling, managing, and coordinating a complex series of tasks.
     Webber identified various types of action; by comparison, rational action (bureaucracy), which involves clear awareness of a goal. It also involves a systematic  assessment of the various means of attaining a goal and the selection of the most appropriate means.
     In Webber's words, "Rational actions is the methodical attainment of a definitely given and practical end by means of an increasingly precise calculation of means. Bureaucracy systematically eliminates those factors that stand in way of not achieving it's objectives.
     It is a system of control, in which superiors strictly control and discipline the activities of sub ordinates. For this control to be effective, it must be regarded as legitimate. Also using the principles or tools of management called POSDCoRB by Gulick which are:-

• Planning:- Working out the Modelities to get works done in an organization and must equally determine the ways to be adopted in doing these things.
• Organizing:- There must be a set of formal structure of authority and flow of work. The different departments is well arranged clearly defined and effectively coordinated.
• Staffing:- There must be an effective and efficient  system of recruitment, training and providing a conducive working atmosphere.
• Directing:- Right decisions, general instructions, must be made concerning the organization by the leaders at the Helm of the affairs.
• Co-Ordinating:- The different branches of the organization must work in harmony.
• Reporting:- Activities must be informed to those at the Helm of affairs in the organization and the sub ordinates also. This is achieved through reporting, recording, research and inspections.
• Budgeting:- Finance cannot be separated from bureaucratic organization, so for the effectiveness and efficiency of every good organization, Budgeting is the hallmark.

Above all, there must be a "Maximum Voluntary Submission" to a higher authority.

     

      The Theory of Bureaucracy

  
     Max Weber, a German National, developed the principles of Bureaucracy as a formal system of organization and administration designed to ensure efficiency and effectiveness. A bureaucratic system of administration, on principles summarized as follows;

1. Managers formal authority is derived from the position or office he or she holds in the organization.
2. It is based on performance and not social astanding or personal contract.
3. Responsibilities and relationships among staff should be clearly defined or specified.
4. Positions should be arranged hierarchically, so that employees know whom to report to and Who reports to them.
5. There must be clearly defined system of rules, standards of operating procedures, so they can effectively control behaviour within an organization; Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's).

   
     The Process of Bureaucratization
    
      One attribute of all governments, its to execute laws and commands of the leader through an administrative staff or body of officials. However, the appointment of these officials and the way they carry out their tasks, differentiated one type of political structure from another. Their mode of implementing the laws and commands differs.
     Under African Bureaucratic system, their mode of implementing the laws and commands of the land developed with the government under Fedralism:-

1. The ruler appoints anyone to his court, grants power to his officials and commissioned them to perform these tasks.
2. Qualifications for officials depended entirely upon the ruler's personal judgement of quality among his household officials.
3. The ruler himself or his officials and favourites, who acted in his name, conducted the affairs of government when and if he considers it appropriate.

   
     Other Central Issue of Bureaucracy in                                        Africa.
 
     Bureaucracy is not new in African society. It is as old as a hill. Many families in African society have a bureaucratic system of organising things. From family to clan, communities, villages, and the society at large. Bureaucratic system of control has been the order of the day. The head of the family delegates functionaries to his wife and members of his family. While the family members are answerable to the head of the family.
      In smaller communities, there are traditional rulers called Chiefs who are responsible for the entire communities. All disputes that can not be settled internally within the home are brought to him for settlement. And his settlement or decisions are made by him and his executives. When they did not agree on their decision, the matter will be shifted to the Eze, the ruler of that village, he and his cabinet will treat the matter. Unless the aggrieved person decides to go to court.
                 
                    CONCLUSION 
   
     Bureaucracy in the African society has taken proper root in the conduct of the affairs of the society. These bureaucratic system of administration covers that in the home, clans, villages, communities and the society at large.
     There is therefore, orderliness and systematic way of handling matters that ensures responsibility, accountability and reporting procedure.