I had a discussion with two of my classmates about red-tape which I've been writing about these last few days. Like Daryn, I believe that red-tape in bureaucracies are necessary evils, but also they are routes designed to help users through processes, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they have to be unbreakable. Some of the best members of our organizations are those who understand the red-tape, know why it is in place, but who can both navigate through it or have the authority to break it when needed to keep business going in the right direction and uninterrupted.
Daryn wrote about about fixed processes vs fluid processes. When thinking about mechanization in organizations, I also like to think about the evolution of Iron Man through the different Marvel movies that have come out. In the first he is all gears and parts, but by the end his suit of armor is made of nano materials and flows around him like liquid. This I think is the ideal outcome of mechanization. Where you can have an organization or bureaucracy that is tough, strong and process driven like a machine, but also nimble, fluid and variable enough to deal with the ever changing demands of business and society.
Lori wrote that processes with red tape have "structure has a high degree of specialization which utilizes work standardization to achieve efficiencies." I really like how she discusses efficiencies. Red-tape doesn't always have to be bad, but processes that are defined by red-tape can actually make organizations run more efficiently and effectively, especially for younger workers.
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