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Administrative Thinkers
Administrative Thinkers- An Introduction
Every organization is associated with a phenomenon called administration. The state will become successful
only when the administration is good. The goal of the state is society itself. Hence, administration assumes
criticality in a state. State is considered to be a deliberately created institution in order to achieve the goals of
the society.
The study relating to public administration has been taking place from quite some time. In the due course of
time, there have come up a number of crystallized ideas. These ideas explain what, why and when of good
government administration.
There have been hundreds of individual efforts in this subject. They can be divided into three broad
categories.

1. Classical- Classical group has tried to explain this phenomenon by focusing on 2- Ms (Machine
and Method). They have focused on the non-living or inanimate aspect of the organization.
a. Scientific Management- Taylor
b. Administrative Management- Henry Fayol, Gulick & Urwick
c. Weberian- Max Weber
2. Humanistic- Bernard, Herbert Simon, McGregor, Chris Argyris, Likert- Humanist Group has tried
to explain this phenomenon by focusing on “Man” i.e. the living or the animate aspect of the
organization.
3. Contemporary- Systems Approach and Contingency Approach- Contemporary group focuses on
every aspect of the organization including the surroundings or the environment.
Other Theorists-
1. Folett (This theorist is considered to be a link between classical and humanistic school of thought)
2. Mayo (Initiated Humanistic Theory but somehow he is not considered to be in the humanistic
school of thought)

Every organization has a number of individuals. They carry certain responsibilities and at the same time they
also exercise power. But, all the individuals do not have same amount of responsibility or same amount of
power. Responsibility and power are directly proportional to each other. This makes an organization, a
layered organization or hierarchy.
In most of the organizations, we will find that at the lower level, more numbers of individuals are present.
As we move to the higher layers, the numbers of individuals go on decreasing. Thus, organizations are
normally in a pyramidal form.
Every organization comprises of 3-Ms.
1. Machine- Structure of the organization (design or shape)
2. Method- Process, procedure, tools or techniques through which the organization operates.
3. Man- The organization operates through human beings.

Scientific Management Movement

Management is the art of getting things done.
There have been two important events in history which influenced the nature of the organizations and
organizational management.
th
 1. Enlightenment (Renaissance- 16th Century)- This was the era where there was restlessness and
rejection pertaining to control of church, irrationality, superstitions, unscientific approaches, feudalism,
monarchies etc. This era brought new concepts such as rule of law, sovereignty, democracy, citizenship,
science, justice, equality, rationality etc. These developments had a deep impact on the nature of the state.
Thereby, it affected and increased the size and operations of the state. The responsibilities of the state
increased and acquired a positive character.
Democracy is a spiritual concept because it enshrines a society where people can live a life of dignity and
choice.
2. Industrial Revolution (17th and 18th Century)- It replaced the hands with machines. The
production increased manifolds. They organizations became larger and more complex in nature. The style of
management which were used pre- industrial revolution continued post- industrial revolution as well. This
created incongruence between the nature of management and the requirements of the organizations. This led
to failure, malfunctioning and inefficiency of the organizations. This worried a large number of management
practitioners.

There was a concern regarding the failure of the organizations. They required a type of response which was
not available at that point of time. This concern was more visible in the context of the functionaries or
practitioners of the private industrial organizations. Few of the important names being

1. Charles Babbage
2. R.H. Towne
3. Metcalfe
4. Halsey
5. Gantt
6. Gilbreth
7. Taylor

F.W. Taylor assumes importance in this regard. He is considered to be the father of scientific management.
All of the above agreed that as far as organizational management is concerned, it should be based on the
science of management. And this science of management should be replacing the “rule of thumb”.
Rule of Thumb- It refers to an approach towards work which is based on limited experience and limited
memory being devoid of scientism, professionalism and rationalism.
Science of Management- It refers to a systematized study of the part of the reality in order to develop
cause- consequence relationship of that reality. Management should be based on scientific approach and not
memory and experience or ad-hocism. It refers towards a scientific approach to understand and explain
management.
This idea became popular and acceptable to the extent that almost all the organizations (private and public)
started emphasizing on science of management. It created an environment called as Scientific Management
Movement. Scientcism in Management became popular.
Reference---- by Suyash Verma

Short Notes on Administrative Thinker

1. George Elton Mayo- founder of human relation movement-
mostly concerned with analyzing the problems of fatigue,
monotony, morale,work environment and their impact on the
worker-mayo focused his attention on the behavior of the
workers and their production capacity keeping in view
physiological, physical, economical and psychological
aspects, called this approach a clinical approach- started his
research in textile mill near Philadelphia in 1923-first study
undertaken called the first inquiry- hawthrone studies,
western electric company, in 1924- the great illumination,24-
27. Criticism- loren baritz – mayoists, united auto workers-
cow sociologist, carley pointed- taking few cooperative girls
for generalization was ‘worthless’.
2. Simon- defined scientific management era as superficial, oversimplified and lacked realism- criticized
universal principles evolved by Fayol, Taylor, Gullick,, etc.,,and criticized them as proverbs and myths.
Concerting to develop a general theory of admn principles- he felt, would form the basis of administrative science
and would insure correct decision-making as well as effective action- decision making concept. Making
Administration Rational, he recommended empirical approach to the traditionalists. Simon divides decision
making as intelligence activity, desigh activity and choice activity- rationality in terms of means-ends construct,
means=any state or situation, ends=ultimate purpose- two types of decision, programmed and non programmed-
simon’s stages of decision making-intelligence activity-design activity and choice activity, simon model- bounded
rationality model=it is known as behavior alternative model because he proposed an alternative model as a more
realistic alternative to the classical ‘economic rationality model’, lindblom’s incremental model- Charles E
lindblem is his article the science of muddling through advocated the ‘incremental model’ of decision making. It is
diametrically opposite to herbeert simon’s rational comprehensive model, etzione’s mixed-scanning model- it
combines the elements of both rational comprehensive model(rationalism) and incremental
model(incrementalism) , dror’s optimal model(yehezkel dror)- in his book public policy-making re-examined
suggests as optimal approach to policy making(decision making)

3. Henri Fayol- the French engineer is regarded as the father of classical theory, fayol defined authority as “the
right to give orders and the power to exact obedience”, founder of the management process school- pioneer of
scientific management- Hendry fayol’s admninstration industrielle et general was first published in France in
1916 in English book general and industrial management- paper on the theory of admn in the state- gangplank
concept – defined admn as five element planning, organizing, commanding, coordination and control- given 14
principles-

4. FW Taylor- father of scientific management- scientific management coined by Louis brandies (1910), scientific
management is known as taylorism, book published a piece rate system (1895)- shop management (1903)- art
of cutting metals(1905)-principles of scientific management(1911), mental revolution-workers and management
can prosper through only cooperation and not through conflict, techniques or method-functional foremanship-
motion study- time study- differential piece rate plan- exception principles, criticism- physiological organization
theory by march and Simon

Classical theory- fayol, urwick, gullick, JD mooney, AC reiley, mary parker follet and Shelton

5 and 6. Contribution of gulick and urwick- gullick identified the four bases of departmental organization as
purpose, process, persons and place- called 4-P formulae, he coined acronym POSDCORB,
Urwick published his most famous book the element of admn- sets 29 principles, specified eight principles of
organization

7 and 8 Classical theory list = Contribution of mooney and reiley- first formulate the classical theory in
1931in USA, they publish onward industry was published. Later, republished the same book under a new title the
principles of organization, Enunciate four principles coordination-scalar process-functional differentiation- line
and staff , Criticism-organisaiton without people warren bennis, march and simon have described it as the
machine model theory, classic theory described as a normative theory because it is more concerned with what
ought to be rather than what is, described as a static model or org- it treats an organisaiton as a closed system,

Classical theory was most influential during 1930-1950 in USA. It influenced many admn reforms committees
and commissions including the brownlow committee(1937), the first hoover commission(1949) and second
hoover commission (1955)

9. Bureaucratic theory- max weber- bureaucracy was first coined by Vincent de gourney, a French economist
in 1745- he called as ‘ideal type’- according to him, authority is synonymous to ‘authoritarian power of command’
and he called it ‘domination’- he stated that, ‘all admn means domination i.e. admn means exercise of authority ’-
three types of legitimate authority are based they are: traditional, charismatic, legal rational authority- he prefers
legal rational authority- ideal type of legal rational bureaucracy designed by max weber I his book the theory of
social and economic organization, translated by Talcott parson and AM hederson in `1947- control over
bureaucracy- martin albrow in his book pointed out that weber considered a number of mechanisms to control
the over-towering power position of bureaucracy-he identified the following five mechanisms in weber’s writings:
involvement of more than one person in decision making, separation of powers, amateur admn, direct
democracy, representation- control through elected representative bodies- among all the above mechanism
weber favored the representative. Criticism: machine theory-closed system model- changing environmental
conditions.

10. Ideas of mary parker follett- bridge between the classical approach and the behavior-human relations
approach to organization- his major works-the speaker of the house of representatives, the new state, creative
experience, dynamic administration, various concepts and principles enunciated by follett are-conflict and
integration(domination, compromise, integration), the giving of orders-depersonalization of orders or exercise of
authority of the situation, new concept of power-distinguish between power over and power with- she argued that
power with must replace power over, authority and responsibility- follett made a distinction between power and
authority- ‘authority belongs to the job and stays with the job’- she advocated the idea of functional authority or
pluralistic authority or cumulative authority and rejected the idea of final authority as an illusion, responsibilities,
she said it is a question of for what is one responsible rather than to whom is one responsible therefore
advocated the idea of functional responsibility or pluralistic responsiblitty or cumulative responsibility, leader- the
leader not only influences his group by is also influenced by it-this relational is called circular response-
distinguish three types position-personality-function, planning and coordination-harmonious ordering of parts

11. CI Barnard- book the function of the executive (1938) - organization and management (1948), regarded as
the spiritual father of the social system school- concept and principles- formal organization as a cooperative
system- three elements- communication, willingness to cooperate and common purpose—informal organization
as a ‘natural system’- zone of indifference- barnard defines organization ‘as a system of consciously coordinated
activities of two or more persons’- he strongly disagrees with the concept of economic man and propounds a
concept on ‘contribution-satisfaction equilibrium= contribution from him and satisfaction from his organization’,
12. Abraham Maslow- widely known need hierarchy theory was developed by Abraham H Maslow as part of his
theory of human motivation during the 1040’s- the highest need is self actualization need and the lowest is
physiological security need, hierarchy of need physiological, security, social esteem and self-actualization. From
the lower physiological and higher self-actualization.

13. Christ Argyris- his book personality and organization deals with the relationship between individual and
organization and criticizes the classical theory of organization- contributed to the growth of behavior approach-
immaturity-maturity theory(people in organizations have a tendency to grow from an immature state to a mature
one)- fusion process theory(both the organization and the individual seek to attain self-realization (self-
actualization))

14. Mc Gregor- Dougals McGregor propounded his theory of motivation, popularly known as ‘theroy X and
theory Y’ in his classic book the human side of enterprise(1960), his basic hypothesis bas been theat, “every
managerial act rests on a theroy”, theory X represents classical approach to management(authoritative
management), while theory Y represent behavior approach to management (participative management), theory
X is work centred, while theory Y represent work and people centred

14. Rensis likert- works include new patterns of management (1961), the human organization(1967), and new
ways of managing conflict(1976), he is mainly concerned with managerial efficiency for achieving organizational
goals, he conceptualized four different types of management system (exploitative-authoritative, benevolent-
authoritative, consultative, participative-group)

References:

Notes taken from

1. Public Administration-Laxmikanth

2. Administrative thinkers - Ravindra Prasad et al

3. http://pubadscholars.blogspot.in/2013/09/short-notes-on-administrative-thinkers.html

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