Organizational Dynamics

Denhardt Chp. 8

Functions of management

Early emphasis on structure– Efficiency most important criterion

POSDCORB (Giulick): Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating, Budgeting

Scientific management (Taylor): Concentration on the work process– Time and motion studies to make the work process more efficient -

“science of shoveling”– Single center of power / top-down hierarchical control

Agency head is accountable to elected officials Similar to how a CEO is responsible to a Board of Directors

Hierarchical structure

Task specialization - sets division of labor– Vertical: boss/subordinate– Horizontal: peer

Unity of command (everyone has a single superior)

Limited span of control (number of persons reporting to a single individual)

Vertical and horizontal divisions of labor

Max Weber and bureaucracies

Applies to large organizations - public or private Hierarchy of offices Selections based on technical qualifications Strict discipline and control

– Distinction between line and staff– Classification of managers

Supervisors/first-line managers Middle managers Top managers/executives

Post-Weber management thought

Emerging emphases on democratic values and human behavior

– Is efficiency the most important value for a public agency?– Is the authoritarian/top-down model compatible with democratic

principles?– Can rigid, bureaucratic structures even be effective? Can they

adapt to change?– Does “scientific management” reduce people to “machines”? Do

bureaucratic practices conflict with human development?

Simon - “bounded rationality” - human beings seek the best possible solution, not necessarily the most economically sound solution

Argyris - individual development and growth can be stifled by bureaucratic imperatives

– people are expected to react positively to strict control - to be passive and submissive

– human striving for self-actualization can be interpreted as threatening and dysfunctional

A new approach - organizations as open systems

Systems theory: input, process, output

Organizations are shaped by the outside world

Best way to understand how organizations work is to analyze their external influencers – their “environment”

– Public– Interest groups– Politics and economics (political economy approach) - focus on programs rather than agencies

A new concern - organizational culture

Attitudes, beliefs and values that shape an organization

Rejects a preoccupation with “efficiency” and “control”

– Emphasizes service and quality

– Fosters autonomy/entrepreneurship

– Achieves productivity through motivated employees who agree on an organization’s core values Illinois Head Start

Organization development (O.D.)

A process for planning and implementing change

– Management accessibility– Open communication– Willingness to experiment– Emphasizes collaboration (not just authority)– Sense of community and shared responsibility– Authentic personal relationships / interdependence

Association promoting

OD