ABSTRACT
Professionalism can be defined as the degree of training and education required by the design of specific jobs and related human-system interfaces. The professional bureaucracy is designed so as to rely on a relatively high degree of professionalism in the jobs that comprise the work system. Its differs from the machine bureaucracy design in that jobs are more broadly defined, somewhat less routinized, and allow for greater employee decision discretion (Robbins 1983). Accordingly, there is less need for formalization and tactical decision-making is decentralized. As with machine bureaucracies, positions are grouped functionally, are hierarchical, and strategic decision-making often remains centralized.
