What are the articles of confederation? (your own word)

The United States original constitution, and it got ratified in 1781, but then the US constitution replaced it.

An informal structure in a bureaucracy would be something like so-called "office politics". where there's a formal structure set up for the organization, but then an informal subculture as well that has a way of organizing the bureaucracy further. this can be positive because it sets up an added degree of organization, albeit informal, within the bureaucracy.