“So let it be written, so let it be done”

Like most if not all institutions, the Pil-community functions in a bureaucratic manner, which Max Weber believes is the most efficient means of pursuing goals(Bureaucracy,p.214). Bureaucracies, like the Pil-community, are made up of written rules that are followed for the intended efficiency of the organization. There is constant documentation of meetings, events, and also certain paperwork required for many of the Pil-community’s operations. One aspect of documentation that the Pil-community utilizes is the Pilipino calendar(Pil-calendar), which displays all of the events occurring in the year. Weber would recognize the Pil-calendar as a form of management through documentation, serving as tangible proof of agreements that were made and are to be followed; adding to the efficiency of organizations.

The Pil-calendar verifies that the event schedule was agreed upon by the Pil-community; therefore the events are permitted to take place, which Weber would interpret as substantiating agreements. The management of organizations “based upon written documents” supports the other characteristics of bureaucracy because it gives organizations a solid reference point of rules and agreements to follow(Bureaucracy,p.197). Written documents are needed to manage an organization through rules, which is a crucial aspect of bureaucracy because it regulates the way an organization functions(Bureaucracy,p.198). For instance, the Pil-calendar regulates which events are allowed to occur and the document itself serves as proof of those event agreements. Pil-orgs gather at the beginning of every semester to put their respective events on the Pil-calendar. When events of different organizations overlap, there are rules that help mediate a compromise so that there is only one event occurring at a time. Each event documented on the Pil-calendar becomes a sort of contract ensuring that each Pil-orgs’ respective events holds precedence over any events that want to be put on another event at the same time. The Pil-calendar, like other forms of written documents, serves as testimony or evidence that arrangements have been agreed upon.

Although management through documentation helps resolve conflicts between parties, Weber does not account for the fact that it can sometimes hinder or prevent decision-making. For instance, when Pil-orgs wants to create an event on short notice, they may not be able to execute the event because they must go through the red tape of seeking official approval from the Pil-community. Weber does not explain this inefficiency of documentation, but he would attribute this dysfunction to a problem in the actual rules regulating the process of handling documentation. For example, Weber would explain that the Pil-calendar is a rational form of documentation but its inefficiency stems from the processing rules of event requests.

Foucault would interpret this constant documentation as a form of power over individuals, or in this case, Pil-orgs. Foucault would explain that these Pil-orgs are under the power of the greater community since they are not free to have events whenever they want.

Management based on written documents substantiates the rules and regulations that organizations agree upon, just as the Pil-calendar validates the events the Pil-community agrees upon.