The Concept of Administration and Organization
THE CONCEPT OF ADMINISTRATION AND ORGANIZATION A: WHAT IS ADMINISTRATION First definition: “Administration can be defined as the activities of groups cooperating to accomplish common goals”. There are particular key elements of administration. Cooperative: the word cooperative is the first key element in this definition. Human activity is cooperative if it has the effects that would be absent if the cooperation did not take place. * Group Activity: Administration includes activities of more than one individual. * The term ‘cooperative’ is defined in terms of the results of the human activity.
When two men together roll a stone which neither of them could roll alone they are cooperating. * Thus the essence of administration is the utilization of cooperative action for the accomplishment of common goals. * Common goal: the second key element of the above definition is the goal or purpose. * It is the common goal which encourages members to come together. Cooperation among members is possible when they share a common goal. The idea of goal is central to the concept of administration in the sense that if there was not a goal, the members of the group would not come together and cooperate with each other. Without the formulation of an objective or goal, no one within the group would know what to do and they would not get involved in any activity. * When someone determines the objective and the group is formed, than the group members will start to think about what they can do for the accomplishment of that objective. * Second Definition: In another definition, administration is defined as “an activity or process mainly concerned with the means for carrying out prescribed ends”. * Here, again in this definition the accomplishment of a specific goal is an important element of the administration. This definition indicates that administration is mainly concerned with the means that are necessary for the accomplishment of pre-determined goals. * It seems that a new element is introduced, that is the concept of means. Means: The means are the ways by which something is done or obtained * A division of labor is necessary among the members of the group to accomplish a common goal. * There is also a need for an authority structure to control and coordinate the activities of the individuals involved. ** Division of labor and authority structure are means (among others) for carrying out prescribed ends. Cooperation and any other method is also a means used in the administration. * Any new definition of administration may introduce some other elements or concepts but in essence they would be concerned with cooperative activity in the accomplishment of desired goals. Third definition: According to Waldo, for example, “Administration is a type of cooperative human effort that has a huge degree of rationality”. * Any new definition of administration may introduce some other elements or concepts but in essence they would be concerned with cooperative activity in the accomplishment of desired goals.
Third definition: According to Waldo, for example, “Administration is a type of cooperative human effort that has a huge degree of rationality”. * Here, ‘rational action’ is introduced as a new element of administration but still cooperation is accepted as a necessary element of administration. * In Waldo’s definition, rational action is defined as actions correctly calculated to realize the given desired goals with minimum loss to the realization of other desired goals. B: What is Organization? ) Amitai Etzioni defines organization as “social units (or human groupings) deliberately constructed and reconstructed to seek specific goals’. This definition implies that the basic elements of organizations are individuals. Thus the first key element of organization refers to the grouping of individuals. * The second element of organization is that they are intentionally constructed for accomplishing specific objectives. * The third element is the concept of goals. Organizations are established for the accomplishment of certain goals.
