Predicaments of Bureaucratic Subordinacy
Dramatic Escape and Compensation
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6337388 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Howell S Baum, H Baum (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1985 |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 681 |
| Publication date | 1985-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Political Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0162-895X • E-ISSN: 1467-9221 |
| Publisher | JSTOR (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2307/3791023 |
| OpenAlex | W2325840228 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 8 |
Bureaucracy presents workers with predicaments which frustrate efforts to act competently. Simultaneous ambiguity in responsibility and authority both defeats interests in recognition and creates risks of being scapegoated for problems. At the same time, the structure of bureaucratic authority engenders shame anxiety which discourages assertion and further hinders effective work. Workers defend themselves against this anxiety by producing dramas which offer escape and compensation. These dramas may be daydreams, plans for the future, or actual plays performed alongside formal organizational activities. This paper examines two workers' dramas. The dramas offer security, with the result that the workers regard them as more real than other activities and withdraw from their formal assignments
Bureaucracy · Compensation (psychology · Criminology · Political science · Politics · Law · Management and Organizational Studies · Psychology · Social Psychology
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,06 |
| Citation span | 1992 - 1995 (4) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |