Max Weber or Jesus Christ: in whose image?

Abstract

The bureaucratic model of organization and the model that emerges from the Gospel and Vatican Council II provide a stark contrast for Catholic health care administrators to ponder. As articulated by sociologist Max Weber, a bureaucracy is based on a hierarchical structure with sharply defined and protected levels of authority, centralized decision making, rules that govern personnel behavior, and an impersonalized view of employees that stresses their roles as functionaries. The Christian, Gospel-based model, on the other hand, places a premium on collegiality, shared authority, the mediation of conscience, the common good, and the work of the individual. Even though only a few will shape management policy in a large hospital, policymaking should be viewed as a service, a ministry that entails stewardship. Catholic health care leaders should reflect the spirit of collegiality by bringing various strata of staff together in a dynamic, united effort. Thus the institution's statement of mission will not be an abstract recitation of pieties but a living reality, a philosophy that is "owned" by the workers.