Organizations are a group of people working to achieve common goals and objectives through a division of labor. A well designed and functioning organization gauges individual strengths and assigns tasks with aptitude and ability in mind, allowing the group to achieve more as a whole rather than by individual effort. The definition is simple but implementation of that definition is complicated as organizations are subject to a multitude of factors that can both enhance or constrain their performance. Understanding and managing these factors to ensure success is the mark of a good administrator and reason for study of organization theories in public adminstration programs. While general principles of organizational theory provide a baseline approach to either the public or private organizations, there are attributes of each that requires adjustments for success in each. As often in public administration, context matters. Much like public administration, organizational theory is a product of multiple fields including business, economics, sociology, psychology, and others (Menzel and White, 2011). Dr. Jeffrey Pfeffer summarized in New Directions for Organization Theory, organizational theory studies provide: “an interdisciplinary focus on a) the effect of social organizations on the behavior and attitudes of individuals within them, b) the effects of individual characteristics and action on organization, c) the performance, success, and survival of organizations, d) the
Organisations are social entities that involve individuals and groups to obtain benefits and goals in different ways. The struggle for resources, personal conflicts and a variety of influence tactics used by these social entities assists in obtaining them.
Classical organizational theory supports two views. Scientific management which focuses on managing work and employees and administrative management which addresses issues which
On a macro level, public administration and business management are similar in their overall functions. “At the broadest level, some organizational theorists contend that administration is administration whatever its setting, and that the problems of organizing people, leading them and supplying them with resources to do their jobs are always the same (Kettl, 2012, p. 38).” In his paper, “Public and Private Management: Are They Fundamentally Alike in All Unimportant Respects?,” Graham T. Allison explains that in comparing public and administration and business management, “it is possible to identify a set of general management functions (Allison, 2012, p. 4).” Regardless of their end goal, each administration must form strategies by setting goals, priorities and creating procedures. Public and private organizations must manage internal components by organizing staff, defining job responsibilities, hiring and managing personnel and creating budgets. Furthermore, they must manage external constituencies such as other agencies, the press and public (Allison, 2012, p. 5). His observations stem from Wallace Sayre’s famous words, “public and private management are fundamentally alike in all unimportant respects (DiIlulio, 1993).”
The management of an organization plays an integral part in determining the direction and performance of the organization. The manner in which the management of an organization is handled has a profound effect on the organization. The success of an organization is dependent upon a flexible and skilled management and workforce. The management of an organization is responsible for shaping up the organizational behavior and ultimately the culture within the organization. Public management faces a multiple of challenges and opportunities, how the management deals with these issues translates to efficiency in management. The personal judgments and skills of public managers can make a significant impact in public management. If
Organizations are social entities that are driven by goals that are designed intentionally, and coordinated activity systems and they are linked to the external environment. It means that the organization should have a way of linking the internal and external environments. Organizations are made of people and the relationship between the people is essential. There is a deliberate move by organization management to come up with structures that ensure coordination of
Like most public agencies, DPSS operates under the elite model of organizational structure. This structure dictates that formal rules and process are followed in order to reach the organization's goals. Therefore, in order to effectively contract out and maintain and effective organization, management must engage in the practice of well-known management principles (POSDCORB). Practicing the principles of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting, and budgeting, management can make sound decisions about the implementation and management of contracts. The effectiveness and efficiency in which the agency is run and the manner in which the contract is managed is grounded in the effective practice of these principles.
Classical organization theory evolved during the first half of this century. It represents the merger of scientific management, bureaucratic theory, and administrative theory.
However, despite Max Weber’s theory that bureaucracies are like iron “iron cages” that are a efficient form of administration. Prior to modern government reform patronage, spoils, and bribery were just part of the political environment for Public Administrators. In today’s, modern government Public Administrators are hired based on the merit and technical qualifications that secure the individual can carry out the duties of the office. However, Public Administrators are forced to work in a hierarchical organization
In the following paragraphs, I will explain the dominant theory in public administration practice and elaborate on the major theoretical assumptions of the Old Public Administration. As stated in the question, the world has transformed through globalization, information technology, and devolution of authority since the latter part of the last century. The dominant theory in public administration has been replaced from the traditional rule-based, authority-driven processes of the Old Public Administration with market-based, competition-driven tactics in the New Public Management, beginning in the 1980s (Kettl, 2000, p. 3). This was an effort to privatize government and streamline public administration to maximize efficiency and productivity. Heavily relying on market mechanisms to guide public programs, public administrators in the New Public Management are encouraged to “steer, not row,” meaning they should not bear the burden of delivering services, but instead define programs that others will carry out, through contracting or other means (Denhardt & Denhardt, 2011, p. 13). Core values of the New Public Management include using private sector and business approaches to the public sector, squeezing as many services as possible from smaller revenues, market style incentives, providing customers more choices, and focusing on outputs and outcomes instead of mainly processes.
Power and politics have always been around but seldom openly discussed. Power is learned at an early age through family and schools. Ordinary people such as scholars hesitate to talk about power. It is often equated with force brutality, unethical behavior, manipulation, connivance, and subjugation.
However, most organizations are run and steered by people. It is through individuals that objectives are situated and goals are caught on. The performance of an association is thus dependent upon the total performance of its individuals. The achievement of an organization will therefore rely on its capacity to gauge definitely the performance of its individuals and utilize it precisely to enhance them as an
UNIVERSITY OF MALAWI CHANCELLOR COLLEGE FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE STUDIES FROM: GRANT ZIMBA TO: DR TAMBULASI REG NO: PA/04/12 COURSE CODE: PAS111 ASSIGN NO: ONE TITLE: ECOLOGY OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION DUE DATE:
My intentions for these organizational research paper to provided Historical Background along with the Organizational Structure, Organization’s Environment, and Organizational Leadership of the Public Organization I have chosen which is the University of New Mexico –Taos Branch Campus. Given the opportunity to be able to research a public organization. I have decided to research and present The University of New Mexico-Taos Branch campus which is community college we have been providing two-year college programs and Certificate programs and degrees to our community. As a thriving community college, we have also been able to support and deliver services to our community members that want to get their GED. Along with
The organization is a social or business unit of people working together to achieve the common goals and the organization managed through the