The Effect of Bureaucracy on Job Burnout

Abstract

Job burnout produces many negative effects, such as lowering commitment, increasing absentee rates, affecting job performance (Schaufeli and Enzmann, 1998). Therefore job burnout and job stress are equally most commonly discussed issues of organizational behavior (Martin, 2000). Vallen (1993) found that individual burnout is significantly related to organizational structures. Mastach and (1986) also found that organizational factors can affect job burnout, of which working environmental factor has more effect on job burnout than population statistical factor does. Maslach, Schaufeil and Leiter (2001) even clearly pointed out that job burnout is generated under hierarchies system. The effect of organizational structures on burnout has been confirmed by the literature. This study aims to clarify the relationship between bureaucracy and job burnout. The study examined questionnaire surveys answered by Taiwanese that 203 employees working in public departments and 240 employees in private sectors. An analysis of the investigation results showed that (1) higher degree of formalization would promote sense of powerlessness, causing job burnout; (2) higher degree of centralization would increase meaninglessness and decrease job autonomy, causing job burnout. Thus, this study suggests that appropriate authorization and flexibility should help in solving job burnout problem.