The process of bureaucratization is found to be composed of three distinct tendencies: the "mock bureaucratization" pattern, characterized by the failure to enforce or obey rules; the "representative" pattern, where rules are both enforced by management and obeyed by works; or the "punishment-centered bureaucracy," where management attempts regular enforcement, but is resisted by workers.
Scientific interest in bureaucracy and in the general theory of organization requires the accumulation of a large body of research data and empirical evidence.
Patterns of Industrial Bureaucracy, informed through by a strong theoretical grasp of the material, is one of the major contributions to the literature of these fields.