Chapter 1 - Development of Administrative Theory



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INTRODUCTION

Functions of Theories.

What is theory? How do theories function in educational administration? The text begins by exploring the nature of theory in administration and discusses six functions of theory in educational administration. Basically, educational administrators are professionals who have a code of ethics and are licensed by state boards of education. Thus, their behavior is guided by acceptable standards of practice. One of the best criteria of a profession, however, is that it has matured as a science; that is, it has developed a solid theoretical base - a body of organized and tested knowledge. Such is the case with educational administration.

Historically, scientific management focused on the management of work and workers. Taylor pursued the idea that through careful scientific analysis the efficiency of work could be improved. Taylor's scientific management can be summarized as consisting of four principles. Administrative management addressed issues concerning how the overall organization should be structured. Administrative management concentrated on the management of an entire organization. (By 1881 Taylor had published a paper that turned the cutting of metal into a science. Later he turned his attention to shoveling coal. By experimenting with different designs of shovel for use with different material (from 'rice' coal to ore) he was able to design shovels that would permit the worker to shovel for the whole day. In so doing, he reduced the number of people shoveling at the Bethlehem Steel Works from 500 to 140. This work, and his studies on the handling of pig iron, greatly contributed to the analysis of work design and gave rise to method study. To follow, in 1895, were papers on incentive schemes. A piece rate system on production management in shop management, and later, in 1909, he published the book for which he is best known, Principles of Scientific Management. A feature of Taylor's work was stop-watch timing as the basis of observations. However, unlike the early activities of Perronet and others, he started to break the timings down into elements and it was he who coined the term 'time study'. Read more at http://www.accel-team.com/scientific/scientific_02.html

Human Relations Approach

The human relations approach is considered to have started with a series of studies conducted at the Hawthorne Plant of Western Electric near Chicago by Elton Mayo and his associates between 1927 and 1933. These studies, widely known as the Hawthorne studies, have strongly influenced administrative theory