Bureaucracy--Is it common when a company becomes big?

When I talked to my colleagues, sometimes they mentioned the companies they are in is so big that bureaucracy can

not be avoided. My colleague said the company he worked for is not running as it used to be. At the beginning, it is not that much big, therefore the senior leaders of the company can adjust the company rapidly to meet market's need. Now it becomes so big. The people needs to cover his/her ass, and there are lot of policies and processes, people argue and argue, and time past so fast. Bureaucracy seems to be common culture in the big firms. The smell of bureaucracy is like the smell of carrion, rising up through the air.