Bureaucratization

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The transformation of an organization into a bureaucracy, emphasizing formal procedures, hierarchical authority, and regulatory compliance occurs during this process
2. This refers to the method of institutionalizing bureaucratic systems that focus on strict administration, rules, and a clear chain of command
3. The process of changing an institution to emphasize bureaucratic principles involves implementing a formal structure, strict adherence to rules, and established levels of authority

Etymology: The desk at the root of this word is named after a cloth. Old French "burel" was a coarse woollen fabric, and writing tables were covered with it, so "bureau" came to mean the desk and then the office where the work was done. The cloth traces back through Latin "burra," a shaggy wool, to Greek "pyrrhos," meaning reddish or flame-coloured. The English "bureaucrat" comes from French "bureaucrate," which adds the Greek-derived "-cratie," from "kratia," meaning rule. The word can be built in two ways: by adding "-ization" to "bureaucrat," or by adding "-ation" to "bureaucratize," which is itself "bureaucrat" with the verb-forming "-ize." Either route gives the same sense of an organization being governed by its offices.

Synonyms: red tape, administration