Bureaupathology is concerned with the
dysfunctional and
irrational aspects of
bureaucracy, and can be defined as the set of problems that arise from exaggerated bureaucratic
controls. Elements of bureaupathology include
routinization, reliance on
regulations, and resistance to organizational change. Bureaupathology is manifested in the
inability of individuals within bureaucracies to respond to unpredicted events. A bureaucratic structure can be said to suffer from bureaupathology when it is
slow to change, strives to
protect administrative roles, tends toward
quantitative compliance, and serves no role other than structural.
The very problem feared by Max Weber, bureaupathology is justified by those who believe that organizational procedure is an end in its own right, and not a means to an end.
The administrative inefficiency caused by "bureausis" is among the reasons for the implementation of the New Public Administration, in an effort to cut down on the costs of public administration.