Organisation design seeks to structure roles, authority, workflows, and relationships in ways that enable organisations to achieve their objectives efficiently and adaptively. Over time, several universal perspectives have emerged that attempt to explain how organisations should be designed to function effectively across contexts. Among the most influential are the bureaucratic, behavioural, and contingency models. Each of these perspectives reflects distinct assumptions about human behaviour, control, coordination, and the relationship between organisations and their environments. A critical examination of these models reveals not only their individual strengths but also their inherent limitations when applied universally to diverse organisational realities. The bureaucratic model, most closely associated with Max Weber, views organisations as rational systems designed for efficiency, predictability, and control. It emphasises formalised rules and procedures, a clear hierarchy of authority, division of labour, impersonality in relationships, and merit-based selection and promotion. From this perspective, organisational effectiveness is achieved when tasks are standardised, authority is clearly defined, and personal discretion is minimised. Large public sector organisations, government departments, and traditional manufacturing firms often reflect bureaucratic design principles. For example, a national tax administration relies on well-defined procedures, hierarchical supervision, and written rules to ensure uniform application of laws and reduce arbitrariness. The major strength of the bureaucratic model lies in its ability to ensure consistency, accountability, and operational efficiency, particularly in stable environments with routine tasks. Clear rules reduce ambiguity, hierarchical authority simplifies coordination, and standardisation allows organisations to scale their operations. Bureaucracy is especially effective where fairness, reliability, and legal compliance are critical. However, the same features that provide stability also generate rigidity. Excessive formalisation can stifle innovation, slow decision-making, and reduce responsiveness to environmental changes. Employees may focus more on rule compliance than on organisational goals, leading to red tape and goal displacement. In dynamic industries such as information technology or creative services, bureaucratic structures often fail to cope with rapid change, as seen when highly rule-bound legacy organisations struggle to compete with agile startups. In contrast, the behavioural model of organisation design shifts attention from formal structures to human behaviour, social relationships, and psychological needs within