Theories of Public Administration (1800 to 1980)

1. Theories in
Public Administration
(1800 to 1980)
FDM 203 Methods of Social Research
ME 204 Industrial Research & Statistics

2. Context Key Values
/Principles/Issues
Proponents Dominant/Theories/Themes
/Sub-Concepts
1. Classical PA (Late 1800-1950’S)
 Politicized
bureaucracy
 Corruption
 Spoils system
 Inept
government
 Popularization
of scientism in
management
 Politics &
administration
Dichotomy
 Preservation of
Democracy
 Promotion of
Efficiency (doing
things right),
effectiveness (doing
the right things) and
economy (least cost) in
the government
 Classical approach
o Unity of
command,
hierarchy,
division of labor,
one best way rule
o Mechanistic view
of the
organization
o Closed system
view of the
organization
 Frederick Taylor
(1856 -1915)
 Robert Owen (1771-
1858)
 Charles Babbage
(1792 -1871)
 Max Weber (1864-
1920)
 Herbert Simon
Classical PA is based on the classical
theories of administration (scientific
management, bureaucratic model and
administration management)
Scientific Management
o Focused on lower level of
management
o One-Best-Way vs. Rule of
Thumb
o Time & Motion Studies
Theory of Bureaucracy
oMax Weber’s ideal Type
Bureaucracy or Rational –Legal
Bureaucracy (hierarchy, division of
labor, formally written rules and
procedures, impersonality,
neutrality)
Administrative Management

3. Context Key
Values/Principles/Iss
ues
Proponents Dominant/Theories/Themes
/Sub-Concepts
1. Classical PA (Late 1800-1950’S)
 Henri Fayol’s1916
a French industrialist, is now
recognised as the Father of
Modern Management. In year
1916 Fayol wrote a book
entitled "Industrial and
General Administration". In
this book, he gave the 14
Principles of Management.
These 14 principles of
management are universally
accepted and used even today.
According to Henri Fayol, all
managers must follow these 14
principle
o Henri Fayol’s principles of
administration (division of labor,
authority, discipline, unity of
command, unity of direction,
subordination of individual
interest to general interest,
remuneration of employee,
centralization, scalar chain,
order, equity, stability of tenure
of personnel, initiative, esprit de
corps)
http://kalyan-city.blogspot.com/2011/04/henri-fayol-14-principles-of-management.html

4. Context Key
Values/Principles/Iss
ues
Proponents Dominant/Theories/Themes
/Sub-Concepts
1. Classical PA (Late 1800-1950’S)
In 1937, Luther Gulick and Lyndall
Urwick published their classic collection
of Papers on the Science of
Administration. Gulick was the president
of the Institute of Public Administration
and a leader in the effort to make
public administration more, well,
scientific. In the opening essay in this
collection, Gulick asked the question:
“What is the work of the chief executive?
What does he do?” Gulick summarized
his answer in the acronym
POSDCORB, which stands for: Planning,
Organizing, Staffing, Directing,
COordinating, Reporting, and Budgeting.
Indeed, into these seven “functional
elements,” Gulick argued “can
be fitted each of the major activities
and duties of any chief executive.”
o Gulick – POSDECORB
(Planning, organizing, staffing,
directing, coordinating,
reporting, budgeting
o Herbert Simon – Administrative
Man
www.hks.harvard.edu/thebehnreport/All%20Issues/July2011.pdf

5. Context Key
Values/Principles/Iss
ues
Proponents Dominant/Theories/Themes
/Sub-Concepts
1. Classical PA (Late 1800-1950’S)
Administrative Behavior: a Study of
Decision-Making Processes in
Administrative Organization is a book
written by Herbert A. Simon (1916–
2001). It asserts that “decision-making”
is the heart of adminisration, and that the
vocabulary of administrative theory must
be derived from the logic and psychology
of human choice," and it attempts to
describe administrative organization "in a
way that will provide the basis for
scientific analysis. The first edition was
published in 1947; the second, in 1957;
the third, in 1976; and the fourth, in 1997.
As summarized in a 2001 obituary of
Simon, the book "reject[ed] the notion of
an omniscient 'economic man' capable of
making decisions that bring the greatest
benefit possible and substitut[ed] instead
the idea of 'administrative man' who
'satisfices” -- looks for a course of action
that is satisfactory
o Herbert Simon – Administrative
Man
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative_Behavior

6. Context Key Values/Principles/Issues Proponents Dominant/Theories/Themes/Su
b-Concepts
 Neo-Classic Approach
o Importance of human
behavior
o Socio-psychological
dimension of the
organization
o Interdependency to its
internal parts and relation
to the external part
environs were not taken
into account
Neo –Classical
 Mary Parker Follet
(1868-1933)
 Barnard (1886-1961)
 Elton Mayo
 Abraham Maslow
 Frederick Herzberg
 Douglas McGregor
 Chris Argyris
 Rensis Likert
NEOCLASSICAL THEORY OF
ORGANIZATION (1920’s to
1930s) – Neoclassical PA
derived its concepts from this
school
 Commonly referred to as the
human relations or human
behavior school
 Attempted to improve on the
classical concepts
 Follet – importance of the
informal system and
exercising leadership rather
then wielding power to
motivate workers
 Elton Mayo (late 1920s to
30’s) experiments – worker’s
anchor of security and
productivity has greater
influence on employee
productivity rather than
management demands;
workers are obliged to
adhere to their group norms

7. Context Key Values/Principles/Issues Proponents Dominant/Theories/Themes/Su
b-Concepts
NEOCLASSICAL THEORY OF
ORGANIZATION (1920’s to
1930s) – Neoclassical PA
derived its concepts from this
school
 Barnard – Function of the
Executive (1938) – viewed
organization as a cooperative
system whereby workers
make contributions to it and
management provide
inducements to encourage
workers to contribute to the
organization. He highlighted
the importance of social and
psychological incentives like
prestige, pride, and loyalty
over economic
considerations
 Abraham Maslow –
Hierarchy of Needs (1943) –
psychological, safety, social,
ego, self-actualization
 Frederick Herzberg – (1959)
Motivation hygiene theory
 Douglas McGregor – Theory
X & Theory Y (1960)

8. Context Key Values/Principles/Issues Proponents Dominant/Theories/Themes/Sub-
Concepts
Abraham H. Maslow felt as
though conditioning theories
did not adequately capture the
complexity of human behavior.
In a 1943 paper called A Theory
of Human Motivation, Maslow
presented the idea that human
actions are directed toward
goal attainment. Any given
behavior could satisfy several
functions at the same time; for
instance, going to a pub could
satisfy one’s needs for self-
esteem and for social
interaction.
 Abraham Maslow – Hierarchy
of Needs (1943) –
psychological, safety, social,
ego, self-actualization
 Abraham H. Maslow felt as
though conditioning theories
did not adequately acapture
the complexity of human
behavior. In a 1943 paper
called A Theory of Human
Motivation, Maslow
presented the idea that
human actions are directed
toward goal attainment. Any
given behavior could satisfy
several functions at the same
time; for instance, going to a
pub could satisfy one’s needs
for self-esteem and for social
interaction.

9. Context Key Values/Principles/Issues Proponents Dominant/Theories/Themes/Su
b-Concepts
The Father of "Job Enrichment"
and the originator of the
"Motivation-Hygiene Theory
In 1959, Frederick Herzberg developed
a list of factors which were developed
a list of actors which were closely
based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs,
except it more closely related to work.
Herzberg theorized that hygiene factors
must be present in the job before
motivators can be used to stimulate the
workers:
Hygiene or Dissatisfiers:
Working conditions
•Policies and administrative
practices
•Salary and Benefits
•Supervision
•Status
•Job security
•Fellow workers
•Personal life
Motivators or Satisfiers:
•Recognition
•Achievement
•Advancement
•Growth
•Responsibility
•Job challenge
 Frederick Herzberg – (1959)
Motivation hygiene theory
 Douglas McGregor – Theory
X & Theory Y (1960)
http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/history/herzberg.html

10. Context Key Values/Principles/Issues Proponents Dominant/Theories/Themes/Su
b-Concepts
Douglas McGregor – Theory X &
Theory Y (1960)
Douglas McGregor, an American social
psychologist, proposed his famous X-Y
theory in his 1960 book 'The Human
Side Of Enterprise'. Theory x and
theory y are still referred to commonly
in the field of management and
motivation, and whilst more recent
studies have questioned the rigidity of
the model, Mcgregor's X-Y Theory
remains a valid basic principle from
which to develop positive management
style and techniques. McGregor's XY
Theory remains central to
organizational development, and to
improving organizational culture.
McGregor's X-Y theory is a salutary
and simple reminder of the natural
rules for managing people, which
under the pressure of day-to-day
business are all too easily forgotten.
McGregor's ideas suggest that there are
two fundamental approaches to
managing people. Many managers tend
towards theory x, and generally get
poor results. Enlightened managers use
theory y, which produces better
performance and results, and allows
people to grow and develop
http://www.businessballs.com/mcgregor.htm

11. Context Key Values/Principles/Issues Proponents Dominant/Theories/Themes
/Sub-Concepts
 Perspective
o Organizations are viewed as composed
of interrelated and interdependent parts
Looks at these parts or subsystems of the
organization in relation to its environment
 Woodrow Wilson
(1887)
 Frank Goodnow
(1900)
 Luther Gulick (1933)
 W.F. Willoughby
(1936)
 Leonard White
(1948)
 Paul H. Appleby
(1949)
 Dwight Waldo
(1952)
INTEGRATION OR MODERN
ORGANIZATION THEORY –
integrates classical approach with
social-psychological perspective of
human relations; this represents
modern PA
 Decision-Making Theory
o Rational decision-making
o Herbert Simon – bounded
rationality, satisficing
 Industrial Humanism
o Theories of motivation
(McGregor, Argyris,
Maslow, Likert)
 Open Systems Theory
oOrganizations as open systems
oOrganizations responds to
internal and external forces
 Contingency Approach
oAttempts to integrate the
various schools of management
ideas
oProposes no single technique or
method is applicable to all
situations

12. Context Key Values/Principles/Issues Proponents Dominant/Theories/Themes/
Sub-Concepts
2. Development
 Underdevel
opment
 Poverty
 Soft states
Administration 1950’s – 1960’s
 Nation building
 Economic Development
 Institutional Strengthening
 Involvement of people in
development
 Goswami
(1955)
 Riggs
 Weidner
 Roman Dubsky
 J.Net
 O.P. Dwivedi
 George Gant
 Concept of DA was
coined by Goswami and
popularized by Riggs and
Weidner
 Refers to almost
exclusively to developing
countries in Asia, Africa,
 Conceptual foundations
were western (US)
particularly, influenced
largely by scientific
management and
administrative reform
(traditional PA)

13. Context Key Values/Principles/Issues Proponents Dominant/Theories/Themes/Sub-
Concepts
3. New Public Administration Late 1960s to 70’s
 Widening gap between the
rich & poor
 Racial discrimination
 Watergate scandal
 Cold War
 Vietnam War
 Equity
 Responsiveness
 Relevance
 Adequacy
 Client-orientedness –
protect & promote
welfare of the
disadvantaged groups
 Minnowbrook
Conference
 H. George
Frederickson
 Disparities existed because PA
has focused less on social
purposes or values of
government policies and
programs on the economy and
efficiency of execution
 The value-free and neutral
stance of traditional PA has
alienated the less privileged
and deprived groups in society
 According to New PA
Proponents, public
administrators should not be
neutral; they should be
committed to both good
management and social equity
as values to be achieved
 Advocated: client-oriented
administration, non
bureaucratic structures,
participatory decision-making,
decentralized administration,
and advocate administrators

14. Context Key Values/Principles/Issues Proponents Dominant/Theories/Themes/Sub-Concepts
4. New Public Management
 Poverty
 Low standards of living
 Globalization
 Economic Integration
 Sustainable human
development
 Improving human
conditions
 Participation and
empowerment of
stakeholders
 Improve government
operations
 Streamline bureaucracy
 Rational public
policymaking
 Strong democracy
 Rule of law
 Hammer & Champy
 Ted Osborne and
David Gaebler
 UNDP
 ADB
 WB
 Reengineering
o Fundamental rethinking and radical
change of processes (Hammer and
Champy)
o Improvement (and, if necessary,
overhaul) of systems
o Reinventing
o Catalytic government: Steering than
rowing
o Community-owned Government –
Empowering rather than serving
o Competitive government : injecting
competition into service delivery
o Mission-Driven Government: Funding
outcomes, not inputs
o Customer-Driven Government:
Meeting the needs of the customers, not
the bureaucracy
o Enterprising government: Earning
rather than spending
o Anticipatory government: Prevention
rather than cure
o Decentralized government: From
hierarchy to participation and teamwork
o Market-oriented government:
leveraging change through the market
 Public Choice Theory
 Governance
o Accountability
o Transparency
o Predictability
o participation