The process of transforming an organization or system into one that runs through increasingly complex rules, procedures, and layers of management.
From bureaucrat plus the suffix -ization (meaning 'the process of becoming'). This noun form was coined in the early 20th century to describe how institutions gradually become more rule-focused over time.
Max Weber, a famous sociologist, studied bureaucratization as an iron cage—once organizations become bureaucratic, they're nearly impossible to change back, even when everyone agrees the rules are pointless.
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