Administrative Behaviour - UPSC PDF Download

Introduction

While Taylor concentrated on managing the shop floor, later writers like Gulick and Urwick shifted their focus to the entire organization. Taylor's primary concern was with the workers, emphasizing on-ground activities to help management increase workforce productivity. However, he did not stress the importance of supervisory levels and higher. Gulick and Urwick, on the other hand, adopted a managerial perspective of administration rather than focusing solely on the shop floor. They believed that in addition to rationalizing the shop floor through scientific management, it was necessary to rationalize the entire organization for profitable operation. This broader approach became known as the "administrative management approach."

Administrative Management Approach: Important Contributors

The Administrative Management Approach is a significant perspective in understanding organizations, with key contributors including Henry Fayol, Mooney, Reiley, Gulick, Urwick, and Mary Parker Follet. These thinkers share a common understanding and approach towards the study of organizations, focusing on certain fundamental aspects.

• Firstly, they emphasize the importance of organizational structure. According to them, an organization cannot function without a proper structure, which serves as a means to assign tasks and relate individuals working within the organization. As they focus on the structure, they are often referred to as structuralists. They believe that an organization's effectiveness depends on its structure, which is essential for any group effort. Moreover, the structure shapes individuals according to the organization's needs. For Urwick, a lack of design is illogical, cruel, wasteful, and inefficient.
• Secondly, these thinkers assume that there is a universality of experience. They have developed certain administrative principles, which they believe to be universally valid. These principles are derived from their experiences in industrial organizations. Mooney observed that every principle in industrial organizations is also present in other spheres.
• Thirdly, they maintain that their principles have scientific validity. Since these principles are based on industrial and military experiences, they are not mere imaginations but are grounded in rigorous empirical observations. Therefore, they possess scientific validity. These thinkers firmly believe that applying these principles will lead to greater economy and efficiency within an organization. They are confident that it is possible to develop a science of administration based on real-life experiences in organizations.

Henry Fayol

• Henry Fayol, born in France in 1841, initially pursued a career as an engineer in a mining company. By 1888, he had become the Managing Director, leading the organization to significant financial success. Fayol eventually authored a book called "General and Industrial Management" (1916) and wrote a series of papers on "The Theory of Administration in the State" (1923), which are now recognized as essential contributions to public administration theory.
• Fayol is widely considered the pioneer of the managerial approach, with later theorists like Gulick and Urwick heavily influenced by his work. His most significant contribution is his principles of administration, which include division of work, authority, discipline, unity of command, unity of direction, subordination of individual interest to general interests, remuneration, centralization, line of authority, order, equity, stability of tenure, initiative, and harmony. Further, Fayol identified five core elements of managerial functions: planning, organization, command, coordination, and control.
• Although Fayol's principles are foundational, his writings were somewhat ambiguous, making it unclear what he precisely meant by these principles. Some principles describe managerial activities, while others prescribe what managers should do. Despite their limitations, Fayol's principles have served as a basis for the development of administrative principles by subsequent thinkers.

Fayol's Principles of Management

Mooney and Reiley 

• In their book 'Onward Industry' (1931), Mooney and Reiley present a comprehensive historical account of the development of management and management thought. They offer a central framework outlining the principles of management, which seems to have some similarities with the principles proposed by Fayol. However, there appears to be some confusion regarding the use of the term 'principle' by Mooney and Reiley. Their principles appear to be a collection of statements highlighting the significance of leadership, authority, and coordination in management.
• Mooney, in his article included in "Papers on Science of Administration," asserted that 'coordination' is the fundamental principle of any human organization. He further stated that the concept of organization and its governing principles are inherent in every form of collective effort, even when there are only two people involved. To illustrate this, he used the example of two men working together to move a stone, which, according to him, showcases the principle of coordination in action.
• Mooney and Reiley also introduced the functional principle of organization. They identified three primary functions that all jobs entail: determinative function (establishing goals), application function (purposeful action to achieve the goals), and interpretative function (decision-making). They argued that management must be aware of these functions and be prepared to perform them as needed. In doing so, Mooney and Reiley contributed to the advancement of managerial theory in administration.

Gulick and Urwick 
Luther Gulick, born in 1892 in Osaka, Japan, studied at Columbia University and contributed significantly to the field of public administration. He held various positions, including serving on the National Defense Council during World War I, working as an administrator in New York City, and acting as a professor and consultant in administration across several countries. Some of his notable writings include 'Administrative Reflection from World War II' and the jointly edited work with Lyndall Urwick, 'Papers on the Science of Administration' (1937).

• Lyndall Urwick, born in Britain in 1891, was educated at Oxford University and served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the British army during World War I. He was renowned as an industrial management consultant and authored several influential publications, such as 'A Management of Tomorrow,' 'The Making of Science of Management,' and 'The Elements of Administration' (1943). Alongside Gulick, he co-edited 'Papers on Science of Administration' (1937).
• Gulick and Urwick's extensive experience in civil service, military, and industrial organizations allowed them to bridge the gap between public and business administration. Their work was heavily influenced by Taylor, with Urwick focusing on rationalizing the work process by centralizing tasks. Together, they developed the classical theory of organization, known as administrative management theory.
• Both scholars believed that a science of administration could be developed based on principles derived from the experiences of administrators. They argued that administration, which had previously been considered an art, could be transformed into a science. In their work, they emphasized the structure of administration while largely overlooking the role of individuals within the organization.
• Drawing from their experiences and approach, Gulick and Urwick proposed several organizational principles. Gulick's ten principles include division of work, departmental organization, coordination through hierarchy, deliberate coordination, coordination through committees, decentralization, unity of command, line and staff, delegation, and span of control. He also created the acronym 'POSDCORB,' representing the seven essential functional elements of administration: planning, organization, staffing, direction, coordination, reporting, and budgeting.
• Urwick, on the other hand, identified eight principles of administration: the principle of objectives, correspondence, responsibility, scalar, span of control, specialization, coordination, and definition.

The General Principles of Administration

Based on the principles enumerated by the above authors, here some of the important principles are explained briefly:

The Theory of Departmentalisation
The Theory of Departmentalisation is a crucial principle in administrative management. It deals with the issue of dividing work within an organization and creating departments based on specific criteria. Luther Gulick identified four foundations for establishing various departments, known as the 4P's: Purpose, Process, Persons (clientele), and Place (territory).

• Purpose: Departments can be created based on their primary function or objective. By identifying the main goals and functions of the organization, departments can be established to focus on each specific function. For instance, the welfare department was formed to focus on people's well-being. The advantage of such a department is that it is a self-contained organization with low coordination costs and a higher likelihood of achieving its goals. However, purpose-based departments may face issues such as a lack of work division, outdated technology, and insufficient work for specialists within the department.
• Process or Skills: Some departments are established based on the processes or skills required for their functioning. For example, an engineering department would be considered a 'process' based department. By grouping together work that requires similar knowledge, skills, and processes, it is possible to achieve effective work division and specialization. This also allows for maximum utilization of labor and machinery for mass production. The main drawback of this approach is that it can result in an unnecessary division and growth of departments.
• Persons or Clientele: The third basis for departmental organization is to specialize work according to the clientele served. For example, an 'old age welfare department' caters to a specific group of people who require special attention. Employees in this department develop specialized skills over time to serve this particular clientele. However, coordination between such organizations can be challenging due to overlapping and duplication of efforts.
• Place or Territory: Some organizations use place as a basis for creating departments, such as 'district' administration or tribal area departments. In these cases, all functions performed within a specific area are combined to form a department. This approach is useful for the intensive development of a particular area, and employees in these departments can become area specialists. However, these departments may lack functional specialization and growth.

The theory of departmentalisation has been criticized for the vagueness of the departmental bases and their potential incompatibility with one another. There can also be overlap between the bases, making it difficult to categorize departments. For instance, a medicine department could be considered both process-based, due to the skills involved, and purpose-based, due to its intended objective.

Single Top Executive or Unity of Direction
The principle of Single Top Executive, or Unity of Direction, posits that organizations should be headed by one director or executive leader. Urwick argued against the use of committees for administration, as they tend to be slow, inefficient, and uncooperative with other agencies. He believed that well-managed administrative units in government should always be led by a single individual. Gulick, who was a member of the President's Committee on Administrative Management, likely shared this sentiment as he sought to establish the principle of one-person administrative responsibility instead of relying on numerous boards and commissions within the United States Federal Government.

Unity of Command

• The concept of 'unity of command' implies that for an organization to function effectively, its employees should receive instructions from only one superior. This idea aligns with Fayol's statement, "a man cannot serve two masters" (Betram Gross, p.145). Adhering strictly to this principle may have some drawbacks, but these are insignificant compared to the potential confusion, inefficiency, and lack of accountability that can result from not following it.
• Gulick, however, acknowledges that there may be exceptions to this rule, particularly for field office specialists. For instance, it might be necessary for an engineer in a field office to work under the administrative supervision of the field office manager and the technical supervision of the chief engineer at the central office. In such cases, Gulick recommends implementing a system of 'integrated dual supervision' (Betram Gross, p.145) to ensure smooth operations.

The Principle of Staff
The principle of staff highlights the importance of having a team of officials to support the executive in carrying out organizational activities. There are two types of staff: special staff and general staff. Both specialists and generalists are essential for the efficient functioning of the organization.

• General staff helps the executive with tasks such as understanding, strategizing, and planning. On the other hand, special staff supports the executive in executing the core operations of the organization. Gulick, drawing from his military experience, discussed the relationship between general staff and special staff. In a manner similar to military organizations, general staff may support their supervisors in crucial tasks such as command, control, and coordination. They should facilitate the coordination of specialists' work without taking on specialized functions themselves.
• While doing so, they should act as representatives of their superiors and operate within the boundaries of decisions made by them. This approach allows them to alleviate some of the day-to-day administrative responsibilities from the top executive, enabling the executive to focus on more critical matters.
• Urwick acknowledged that in a professional setting, assistants acting on behalf of top executives may sometimes be perceived as encroaching on the authority of senior officials. To address this issue, Gulick suggested that assistants should have a "passion for anonymity," meaning they should be willing to work behind the scenes without drawing attention to themselves or seeking recognition for their contributions.

The Principle of Delegation
The principle of delegation focuses on the importance for administrators to retain the necessary authority to make decisions and delegate the remaining authority to their subordinates. Without proper delegation, subordinates cannot effectively fulfill their responsibilities. Urwick argues that the lack of courage to delegate appropriately and the knowledge of how to do so is a major cause of failure in organizations (as cited in Betram Gross, p.147). Urwick believed that organizations cannot function efficiently if executives do not delegate tasks to their subordinates. This principle also highlights the need for executives to have absolute responsibility and be personally accountable for the actions of their subordinates when authority is delegated to them.

The Principle of Matching Responsibility with Authority
This principle maintains that the authority and responsibility must be coterminous, coequal and defined. While Fayol emphasized the need to promote a sense of responsibility, Urwick deals with both sides of authority-responsibility relationship. It is not enough to hold people accountable for certain activities, it is also essential to delegate them the necessary authority to discharge that responsibility. The responsibilities of all persons exercising authority should be absolute within the defined terms of that authority. The persons exercising authority should be personally accountable for all actions taken by subordinates.

The Principle of Span Control
The principle of span of control emphasises that a supervisor cannot control more than a certain number of subordinates. In this regard Urwick felt that “no supervisor can supervise directly the work of more than five, or at the most six subordinates whose work interlocks” (Betram Gross, p.148). This principle is based on the psychological conception of “span of attention”. When the number of subordinates increase arithmetically, there is a geometrical increase in all possible combinations of relationships, which may demand the attention of supervisor. While there is no agreement among the writers about the exact limit of span of control, Sir Ian Hamilton put the limit at three or four. Some authors put the figure at ten or twelve. Gulick identifies various factors that may influence the optimum span, particularly the capacity of an individual executive, the nature of work performed, the stability of an organisation and geographical proximity to those who are supervised.

The Principle of Division of Work
The principle of division of work suggest that in order to bring the efficiency and effectiveness in the organisation the work has to be divided and entrusted to the people who are specialised in it. In fact, Gulick felt that division of work is the basic principle of organisation and it is reason for existence of organisation. He further felt that ‘every large scale or complicated enterprise requires many men to carry it forward. 

• Whenever many men are thus working together, the best results are secured when there is a division of work among these men’. He says man-invented organisation as he failed to perform the work single handily. As a result he had to divide the work and this division of work was the cause for genesis of organisation. Individuals differ in their skills, efficiency and attitudes. A single person cannot work in two places at a time. And also he cannot perform more than one activity at a time. Because of these reasons and also in the context of growing knowledge in different areas the division of work and entrusting different types of work to different people is inevitable. Division of work results in increase in the production and efficiency in the organisation
• However a division of work has its own limitations. According to Gulick the important limitations are the volume of work, the technology, custom, physical and organic limitations. The work can’t be divided if it is too less. Work can be divided only when there are people available with skills to perform it. Integrating divided parts follows division of work. Gulick says that division of work and integration are bootstraps by which mankind lifts itself in the process of civilization.

Fayol's Division of Labour

The Principle of Coordination
This principle emphasizes that when work is divided and entrusted to different individuals, that work has to be coordinated to achieve the organisational tasks. Without proper coordination it is not possible to achieve the task. Coordination is basically bringing together of the work done by different individuals in the organisation. Mooney particularly emphasized on the importance of this principle. He maintained that it was coordination that is fundamental principle of any human organisation. He further writes, the term organisation and the principle that govern it are interacting in every form of concerted human effort, even when there are not more than two persons involved in it. Here he takes the example of two men’s effort to move a stone and says ‘here we have coordination, the first principle of organisation’.

The Principle of Hierarchy
Hierarchy indicates the control of the higher over the lower. In the administrative structure, hierarchy means a graded organisation of several successive levels or steps. Hierarchy is also known as scalar principle. Hierarchy places individual in organisation in an order. Hierarchy facilitates the allocation of responsibilities to the different levels of organisation. It also facilitates easy flow of work in the organisation and also easy coordination and control. It fixes responsibilities of individuals and makes it clear who is accountable to whom. 

Criticism

Numerous authors have expressed their disapproval of the administrative management approach. The principles outlined in this approach have been the primary focus of their critique. The central argument is that there is a lack of coherence among these writers' works and within their individual works. The term "principle" is employed differently by various authors, most of whom concentrate on management issues within the organization rather than addressing lower-level concerns. (Reference: Prasad et. al. p.105) 

Administrative Management Approach: Relevance

• The Administrative Management Approach, despite facing criticism, remains relevant even today. Principles such as division of work, coordination, and delegation are still prevalent in modern organizations, as they cannot function effectively without adhering to these concepts. These principles continue to be taught in educational institutions for students studying public administration and management.
• While many critics have disapproved of these principles, they have not been able to develop any alternative concepts. They have been unsuccessful in replacing them with improved principles. The principles of administration have laid the foundation for the development of subsequent theories in administration. By making some modifications to align with the changes occurring in organizations, these principles can still maintain their relevance in today's context.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the administrative management approach and its principles have played a significant role in the development of organizational theory and practice. Despite the criticisms and limitations, these principles continue to be relevant and useful in understanding the administrative processes of contemporary organizations. By adapting and modifying these principles according to the changing needs of organizations, they can still contribute to the effective and efficient functioning of administration.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) of Administrative Behaviour

What is the administrative management approach?

The administrative management approach is a theory that focuses on the organization as a whole, rather than just the shop floor level, and emphasizes the importance of structure, management principles, and the role of managers in achieving efficiency and effectiveness in the organization.

Who are the main contributors to the administrative management approach?

The main contributors to the administrative management approach include Henry Fayol, Mooney, Reiley, Gulick, and Urwick. Mary Parker Follet is also considered an important figure in this approach.

What are some key principles of the administrative management approach?

Some key principles of the administrative management approach include the division of work, unity of command, unity of direction, hierarchy, coordination, staff and line organization, delegation, and span of control.

What is the significance of the administrative management approach?

The administrative management approach has contributed significantly to the theory and practice of administration, helping large-scale organizations operate effectively and efficiently. Despite its limitations, the principles continue to be practiced in organizations today and provide a basis for understanding administrative processes.

How can the administrative management approach be applied in a contemporary context?

To apply the administrative management approach in a contemporary context, it is essential to understand the theory in a proper perspective and make necessary modifications based on the changes taking place in organizations. This will help in facilitating the smooth functioning of administration and achieving organizational goals.