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Bureaucracy was an innovation in the mid-1800s, as the world changed from a traditional society to one driven by a new sense of rational-legalism, largely driven by the Protestant ethic. Max Weber, a German sociologist, described the times in his book, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1904, in German; 1930, English translation). Weber notes that it was a change in thinking that led to this new world. Today, the field of management again faces the need for a fresh approach if the world is to solve its current set of challenges.

Charles G. Chandler, Ph.D.