Wilson concluded that successful bureaucracies are those in which executives have created a clear sense of mission, identified the tasks that must be achieved to fulfill that mission, distributed authority within the organization according to those tasks, and provided subordinates (particularly operators) with enough autonomy to achieve the task at hand (1989, 365)—a fairly tall order given the complex environment of public agencies. Wilson’s argument suggests that agencies given clear objectives and high levels of autonomy are more likely to be successful in achieving those objectives. Yet, as Wilson acknowledged, it is difficult to see how clear objectives can be routinely manufactured as an end product of a democratic process. If the administrative arm of government is given greater levels of autonomy , and if clearer goals are not forthcoming from the democratic institutions of government, the likely result is the transfer of increasing amounts of policymaking power to the bureaucracy. In its call for clearer missions and less centralization in public bureaucracy, Wilson’s argument is ultimately prescriptive. Reorganization through deregulation, however, turns out to be an extension of bureaucratic politics rather than a way to channel it toward universally desired ends. Organization helps determine not only how bureaucracies and bureaucrats behave but also how power and influence are distributed among the various actors in the political system.