Definition of authority

Even the very simple illustrations that have been presented of organized behavior exhibit, in embryo at least, the phenomenon of authority. Authority” may be defined as the power to make decisions which guide the actions of another. It is a relationship between two individuals, one superior, the other “subordinate.” The superior frames and transmits

The uses of authority

Authority has been described as a relation that secures coordinated behavior in a group by subordinating the decisions of the individual to the communicated decisions of others. Thus, the exercise of authority in a group makes possible a large degree of separation of the decision-making processes from actual performance, or what might be called

The Role of Authority: Unity of command

In Chapter II some remarks were made on the inadequacy of the doctrine of unity of command, as that doctrine is usually stated. It was pointed out there that, in a trivial sense, unity of command is always achieved, for if a subordinate is instructed to base a decision on two confl icting premises

The Role of Authority: Formal and informal organization

The manner in which authority is used to maintain coordination in orga- nization has already been discussed. Procedural coordination—the speci- fication of the lines of authority, and the spheres of activity and authority of each organization member—creates a formal organization, a set of abstract, more or less permanent relations that govern the behavior of

Psychology and the theory of authority

It is important to note that propositions about human behavior, in so far as it is rational, do not ordinarily involve propositions about the psychology of the person who is behaving. Let us explain this rather paradoxical statement. In a given situation, and with a given system of values, there is only one course

Authority and alienation

Chapter VII describes how authority is used in organizations, and especially its role in the decision-making process. It will be informative to link that discussion of authority with the discussion of work satisfaction in the commentary to Chapter VI. Sometimes it is said that the main problem with organizations is that they require people

The Role of Authority: Employee participation in decision-making

For nearly a half century, a central theme in social psychological and sociological research on organizations and in the work of consultants on participation increases both employee satisfaction and productivity. The evidence from the numerous empirical studies that have been carried out is mixed. In general, participation does increase employee satisfaction, but it does

The Role of Authority: Attraction to power

We do need to discuss briefly, however, the attraction that the prospect of holding power exerts on some people, both employees and their employers. Power, and formal authority as a form of power, is a frequently useful tool for attaining one’s objectives. But it is not uncommon for power to become a goal in

Nature and functions of communication

Communication may be formally defined as any process whereby decisional premises are transmitted from one member of an organization to another. It is obvious that without communication there can be no organization, for there is no possibility then of the group influencing the behavior of the individual. Not only is communication absolutely essential to

Specialized organs of communication

Because of the great importance of communication to their functioning, most organizations, even of moderate size, develop certain specialized communications tasks. Decision-centers themselves—that is, executive positions—must often be staffed with persons who can assist the executive in his communications functions. The organization develops specialized repositories of its official “memory”—files, records, libraries, followup systems. Organization

Training and communication

The whole subject of training involves other questions than those of communication. Nevertheless the role of training in administration is perhaps best understood by viewing it as one of several alternative means for communicating decisional premises to organization members. If, for example, a particular j ob in an organization requires certain legal knowl- of

Communication: Is there an information revolution?

Is there in fact, as is so often claimed, an “information explosion”? Why do we think so? What does it signify? Certainly the press has had no doubts for some years that information is exploding. A single issue of the Sunday New York Times a decade or more ago yielded the following two items:

Communication: Organizational learning

One of the important uses of communication, in organizations and elsewhere, is for teaching and learning. An organization’s knowledge comprises the (relevant) knowledge stored in the memories of its members together with the knowledge stored in its files and records, including, nowadays, the data banks in its computers. Organizational learning is the set of

Applying information technology to organization design

In the past, organization theory has been mainly concerned with what might be called “organization for production.” The theory traditionally paid special attention to two problems: how to divide up the work for its efficient performance and in such a way as to keep the needs for coordi-nation of the parts within manageable bounds;

The nature of efficiency

The criterion of efficiency is most easily understood in its application to commercial organizations that are largely guided by the profit objective. In such organizations the criterion of efficiency dictates the selection of that alternative, of all those available to the individual, which will yield the greatest net (money) return to the organization. This

Criticisms of the efficiency criterion

Criticisms of “efficiency” as a guide to administration have been frequent and vociferous.8 One group of criticisms need not concern us here, for they refer to definitions of the term different from the one proposed here. In this category must be placed attacks on efficiency which equate the term with “economy” or “expenditure reduction.”

The Criterion of Efficiency: Factual elements in decision

We have seen that the criterion which the administrator applies to factual problems is one of efficiency. The resources, the input, at the disposal of the administrator are strictly limited. It is not his function to establish a utopia. It is his function to maximize the attainment of the governmental objectives (assuming they have

Functionalization in relation to efficiency

A few words need to be said now about the bearing of this efficiency cri- terion upon organizational problems. In an earlier chapter it was noted that specialization in organization often follows functional lines. This functionalization involves the analysis of the organization objective into subsidiary objectives. One or more of the subsidiary objectives may

Efficiency and the budget

As a practical application of the approach set forth in this chapter, we may consider the public budget-making process, and the form which this process will have to take if it is to conform to the requirements of rationality. It has been asserted that the concept of efficiency involves an analysis of the administrative

Measuring results in business firms

CHAPTER IX PLACES CONSIDERABLE EMPHASIS upon the difficulty of measuring results in public organizations, and argues that it is easier to do so in business organizations. The latter have profits as the “bottom line,” and accountants know how to measure those—at least to a first approximation. But in spite of this, the measurement of