ABSTRACT

"The idea of organization persists even though the form of organization changes." The military services are classical examples of organizations that rely heavily on bureaucratic criteria of hierarchy, standardization, rules, and positional authority. They have been relatively successful applications of the bureaucratic model. This model is not pure, since the services have made some adaptations to overcome perceived weaknesses or to react to measured needs. Many trends will affect military organization in the 1980s. Several have been selected here because they pose major challenges to structure, process, and behavior. Past structures are major determinants of future organizations, and these structures are usually subject to only incremental changes. Fifty to 60 percent of the tanks, ships, and planes that will be used in 1986 are in service. Although changes will occur in organizational behavior, structure, and processes, the bureaucratic model should be recognizable.