Imagine that one night you are whisked away from Earth by an SUV-sized drone that shuttles you to a spaceship. Unbeknownst to you, there was a highly contentious space race in which a disgruntled planet of Fliblegurbs chose you as a write-in candidate to show how displeased they were with their whole darned election process.

Well, you won the election without even knowing that Fliblegurbs exist. Now you are their leader.

In front of you is a mountain of hundreds of tentacle written letters from your loyal citizens wanting you to address their needs.

“Not to worry, your Grand High Fliburpyness!”, says your translator and second-in-command. “We have a staff that will take care of those letters for you”, and tries to usher you out of the room.

Now, the last thing you did before your alien abduction was mail off a handwritten letter to the Premier of Alberta, and you are suddenly filled with horror, thinking your precious efforts are sitting in a similar pile back on Earth – and you can’t look away.

You ask an intern about what appears to be the largest pile of letters coming out of the sorting process. You cannot tell if the tentacles are formally saluting you or if it is a rude gesture, and the intern says. “Glub foogerty noggilbip! Nub Xaqpzipic…”, and then it either sneezes or swears.

Your translator explains, “These letters are just trash – just ramblings with no purpose. Besides, most of them address you by your name instead of addressing you as your Grand High Fliburpyness!”

You try to insist that you don’t need to stand on proper titles, but the offence seems to be taken so deeply by the Fliblegurbs that you realize the title is not really about you, and you let it go.

You remember that your letter to the premiere never said “Honourable” anything. You went with an informal approach as though you were talking to your friend, and did not start with a clear purpose in your first paragraph. You felt it would be better to start with some small talk before you got to the truth bomb you were so proud of. What if no one even got far enough to read your truth bomb?

You notice a group of Fliblegurbs in the corner quivering. They look more pale and sickly than the other interns, and you ask about them.

“Oh, they will recover in a day or two”, says your interpreter. You see, one or two letters that are rude or disrespectful don’t do much, but after having to read hundreds… it drains our snubble. If they just stay in the corner there for a few days, they will get their snubble replenished and can start again.”

Suddenly you start to hope that no one got far enough to read your truth bomb.

You notice some interns taking piles of letters and answering them. “Hey”, you point at the letter writers. “How can they answer on my behalf if I never even knew what was in the letter?”

“Well”, your interpreter explains, “They just complained and did not offer any solution or ask you to take any action. So the only answer we can give them is what the current policy is, and that you will be considering all policies in a timely manner. No need to bother you with that.”

The truth bomb you wrote last night now feels less like a truth bomb and more like a whiney nuisance. You never offered any solution, or at least asked the Premier to vote or speak or take any action to represent you. You notice several more letters going into the trash pile, and your interpreter anticipates your next question this time.

“No return address”, he shrugs. “We can’t reply if they don’t tell us who to reply to.”

Well, that’s it. You can’t go back to Earth anyway. You can’t show your face there now. Might as well settle into your new re-election campaign. Your interpreter is finally able to usher you into the other room.

There you find a report. The number of letters written about each issue gives you a good idea about what issues are most important to your Fliblegurbs. The ones that gave suggestions or calls to action are now organized in a list that you can easily choose from. Then you notice three neat one-page letters. Your translator reads them for you, and they are truly unique. They include personal experience or expertise related to the issue and offer first hand knowledge and data to support their positions. They are respectful, professional, and courteous, and they offer either a solution or an action you can take. All their contact information is there, so you instruct your interpreter to thank the letter writers for their assistance.

Now, who really affected bureaucratic change here? You? Your team? Or the letter writers that were polite, professional, succinct and unique?

What Is Bureaucracy

A bureaucracy is a system of organization designed to manage complex tasks and large-scale operations. Key features include:

• Hierarchy: There is a clear chain of command.
• Division of Labor: Tasks and responsibilities are assigned to different groups.
• Rules and Regulations: Not just rules and regulations a bureaucracy might be tasked to carry out, but a bureaucracy often comes up with its own rules and regulations.
• Impersonality: Objective criteria are met, or they are not, leaving little room for unique circumstances.
• Record-Keeping: Activities and decisions are documented.

Some researchers feel that bureaucracies are inevitable, and others feel other systems can be created in their place. Do you feel that bureaucracies are good at maintaining order and efficiency, or are they too slow, inflexible or complex? Whichever side of the debate you land on, you are unlikely to avoid bureaucracies altogether. What is your response when you run into a bureaucracy?

5 Ways We React To Bureaucracy

Research has shown that there are five different types of coping behaviors when we are faced with bureaucracy.

The Resister

Have you ever looked at a long list of rules for recycling and just thrown everything into one bin because it was all too confusing or impractical? Resisters challenge authority, question decisions, or evade rules they perceive as unfair or overly burdensome.

The Activist

Have you ever composed a suggestion for a change of policy at work, or signed a petition at school? Activists go beyond their personal situation, organizing, campaigning, or appealing to higher authorities to address broader issues.

The Accommodator

Have you ever paid a late fee without going through the hassle of contesting it, despite the financial strain? Accommodators accept the status quo, focusing on compliance to resolve issues as quickly as possible.

The Fighter

Have you ever avoided applying for something you were eligible for, assuming the process will be too difficult or unlikely to succeed? Fighters use avoidance as a coping strategy, often because they feel overwhelmed, powerless, or distrustful of the system.

The Cooperator

Have you ever coordinated with coworkers to organize an improvement project that had nothing to do with the regular workload? Did management have a few hoops to jump through to get your goals done? Citizens who actively and willingly engage with bureaucracy work collaboratively to achieve mutual goals or resolve issues.

Hopefully, you saw a bit of yourself in each of the five coping behaviors, because none of them are “wrong”. The behaviors say more about the bureaucracy than you! What if you decided to come up with a company recycling policy, and you are the one that comes up with the long list of rules that everyone ignores? It’s time for some new strategies!

3 Bureaucratic Coping Styles

Michael Lipsky wrote a seminal paper about bureaucracy that he started in the 60’s and published in the 80’s. He coined the phrase, “street-level bureaucracy”. Instead of focusing on the big decision-makers in a bureaucracy, he focused on the people in charge of implementing the laws and processes they created. His findings have been built on for the last 40 years and applied to many other kinds of bureaucracies, like work or school. That’s handy for us since these street-level bureaucrats are the folks we are most likely to interact with!

Street-level bureaucrats are called on to interact with us but are rarely given the financial, personal, or organizational resources to complete tasks for us. They are under constant psychological and sometimes even physical threat from us. Their role expectations are often ambiguous, contradictory, and even sometimes unattainable.  So they have developed coping strategies:

• Rationing Services
  • Prioritizing people based on perceived urgency, eligibility, or ease of resolution.
    • Services can be delayed, denied, reduced or stricter eligibility criteria can be placed on us.
    • This often involves informal discretion, which can lead to inconsistencies in services.

• Simplifying Complex Cases
  • Adopting routines or rules of thumb to standardize decision-making
    • Helps reduce uncertainty
    • Can result in unequal treatment between those of us trying to interact with them.

• Prioritizing Tasks
  • Discretion is used to balance conflicting demands from supervisors, organizational policies, and those of us trying to interact with them.

Given these coping styles that bureaucracies use, one of the best ways to make yourself stand out and be a priority, is to simply be civil. Smile and say “hello”. Clearly and calmly state who you are and what you want. Say “please” and “thank you”. Unfortunately, when people are stressed, basic civility is the first thing to go. Fortunately this is an easy way to make yourself stand out as someone safe to work with and prioritize!

What To Do About Bureaucracy

Develop Administrative, Social and Cultural Capital

Since bureaucracies develop in response to competition for resources. One way to help you deal with bureaucracy is to become a resource that people in the bureaucracy might find helpful.  Sure, money is one form of capital, but before you get yourself arrested for trying to bribe your way out of a parking ticket, consider developing your administrative, social and cultural capital.

Start with developing your cultural capital. This refers to the knowledge, education, skills and cultural competencies you possess, which are valued within a specific context or system. The article we link to above speaks of a doctor that might use cultural capital to understand the unspoken norms of working within a hospital system to help secure maternity leave more smoothly. Exposure to different cultures, values, and practices builds cultural capital by enhancing your ability to adapt and communicate effectively within diverse environments. Look for different ways to participate in cultural activities. Find ways to teach yourself about complex social dynamics. Learn about values that might be different or even contradictory to your own values. This base knowledge will help you immensely when you start to develop social capital.

Social capital refers to the resources and benefits you gain through your relationships, networks and social connections. If you are friends with someone inside the organization, they might have some insider knowledge or offer support through the process. The stronger your social connections, the easier it is to access valuable information and assistance. You will need this social capital to help start building administrative capital.

Administrative capital refers to your understanding of bureaucratic rules, processes, and behaviors within a system. If you understand how to complete complex forms, and who the correct person to approach is, you will not only be able to solve your own issue with minimal effort, you will also be saving time and hassle for the people within the bureaucracy. Knowing the rules and procedures can lead to faster and more favorable outcomes.  You can develop administrative capital through research, professional development, experience or seeking advice from other folks within your social capital.

5 Ways To Develop Bureaucratic Self-Efficacy

Most studies focus on how public servants can build bureaucratic self-efficacy, but we can take the concepts and improve our own perceived competence within a bureaucracy, which can lead to more successful outcomes.

1. Develop Knowledge About Bureaucratic Processes – When you understand the rules of the game, you are more likely to feel confident when you actually need to navigate the system.
   1. Learn about the structure of your local government.
   2. Familiarize yourself with processes like filing petitions, making public records requests, or engaging with public comment periods.
   3. Use resources like workshops or online guides.
2. Advocate for Personal and Community Issues – Seeing even small results from advocacy can enhance feelings of agency within bureaucratic systems.
   1. Join community organizations or advocacy groups that focus on specific causes.
   2. Write to local officials or agency leaders. (Keep the poor Fiblegurb letter readers in mind!)
   3. Work with local media to raise awareness about bureaucratic challenges or inefficiencies.
3. Build Relationships with Public Servants – Positive relationships with bureaucrats can make systems feel less intimidating and more accessible.
   1. Schedule meetings with representatives, caseworkers, or government liaisons.
   2. Attend town halls or public forums to meet officials and other stakeholders.
   3. Treat bureaucrats as allies rather than adversaries, working collaboratively to solve problems.
4. Leverage Technology and Collective Action – Technology and community can create a sense of shared power, boosting your confidence.
   1. Use apps and platforms that track government processes or facilitate petitions (e.g., Change.org, SeeClikFix).
   2. Organize with others to amplify your voice through social media campaigns or group efforts.
5. Cultivate a Growth Mindset – Transform a frustration with bureaucracy into motivation to engage further.
   1. View setbacks as opportunities to learn, not as reasons to give up.
   2. Celebrate progress, even if the larger system feels slow or unwieldy.
   3. Believe in your ability to make a difference, no matter how small the change.

When You Have a Problem

If you are just trying to get ahead at work or moving into a new community, working on your administrative capital or social efficacy is great, but if you run into a cause you really care about, and bureaucracy is in your way, we are here for you!

But we are here for you in the long run. Effective and long lasting change takes time. Sudden drastic change is painful and easily overturned. In the words of one of our four, “Read up on the process and make sure you give yourself more than enough time. Keep perspective. You are one of many requests the agency is handling. If you need faster service, ask yourself why your request is unique.”

Intermediaries

If you have done all the research you can think of, and still cannot figure out how to attack your issue, studies have shown that intermediaries can improve communication, clarify rules, and make the process more efficient.  Try looking for the following types of intermediaries that deal with the issue you are trying to solve:

• Nonprofits and Advocacy Groups: Organizations like the Legal Aid Society or community advocates often help individuals understand and access services.
• Ombudsman Offices: Public ombudsmen address grievances between citizens and government agencies.
• Professional Organizations: Groups like insurance brokers or immigration consultants guide individuals through complex processes.
• Community-Based Organizations: Local centers, resource hubs or even groups at your local library often liaise with government agencies to streamline access.

Small and Simple Steps

This whole article has had several small and simple steps this month. Here are some that did not get in. As usual, the small and simple lists are not a checklist to complete. Just pick and choose any that you want or need for your particular situation.

• Subscribe to Chuck Weko the Bureaucrat on YouTube. He doesn’t know us, but he’s just awesome. He’ll give you lots of bite sized practical entertainment on a deeper level than we can attain.
• Attend a city council meeting or school board hearing.
• Submit a simple request to a government agency (e.g., applying for a permit, making a service complaint, or obtaining a business license).
• Participate in a public consultation process.

We Are Not Experts

Wicked Stepmother Payne remembers a specific moment in her twenties. It was a breezy day and she was walking through some trees with pink blossoms blowing off and sticking in her hair. It was probably a school bureaucracy she was annoyed with, but she distinctly remembers that she thought she was going to make the world a better place by getting rid of bureaucracy. Her hatred of bureaucracy used to be that fundamental personality trait she would list in icebreaker games when she was meeting new people.

Now she daydreams of obtaining a job with a Government Services number attached to it. And, she’s totally comfortable with this level of change in her life. We don’t anticipate you to be as naive as she was, or even to change fundamental opinions like that. Our experience with bureaucracies is average, not expert. 

So, please fill us in! Have we missed any small and simple ideas? Please share your frustrations and victories with bureaucracy in the comments below!