Lessons of Burography

A burography is a description and analysis of the intersections of biography and bureaucracy that articulates the organizational experience and meaning from the actor's perspective. In this burography, the author discusses his experiences with and/or participant-observer study of bureaucracies in the U.S. Navy, public welfare agencies, evangelical organizations, movements on behalf of abused children and battered wives, and academia. Within the context of an organization, using biased or false reports in constructing official information is often considered a feature of organizational competence, based on one's understanding of the context. The process of critical reflection on the author's career has revealed to him that the motives for and results of his actions are more complex—and less completely altruistic—than previously imagined, both practically and morally.