PHILOSOPHY, PURPOSES, ELEMENTS, PRINCIPLES AND SCOPE OF

ADMINISTRATION, DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ADMINISTRATION AND

MANAGEMENT

MEANING OF ADMINISTRATION

The word administer is derived from the Latin word “ad+ministraire”, means to care for or to look
after people- to manage affairs. Administaire means “Serve”- the meaning is suggestive enough, as it
insists on the administrator to regard himself as a servant, not that the master to look after, perform all
functions. Administration is a process permeating all collective effort, be it public or private, civil or
military, large scale otherwise, and is that of universal nature. It is a corporative effort, directed
towards the realization of a consciously laid down objectives. Since administration permeates all
planned human activities, hence it is at the centre of all human affairs. Its principle aspects are
formulation of policy and its implementation for the attainment in an optimum manner of stated ends
in the shape of service or products. Administration is an activity which demands correct analysis and
accurate orientation.

DEFINITION OF ADMINISTRATION

Administration is the organization and direction of human and material resources to achieve desired
ends. – Pfiffner and Presthus

Administration is the direction, co-ordination and control of many persons to achieve some purposes
or objectives. – LD White

Administration has to do with getting things done; with the accomplishment of defined objectives. –
Luther Gullick

Administration is the activities of groups co-operating to accomplish goals. – Herbert A Simon

The real core of administration is the basic service which is performed for the public such as police,
and the protection, public works, education, recreation, sanitation, social security, agricultural
research, national defense and others. - Nigro

Administration may be defined as the management of affairs with the use of well thought out
principles and practices and rationalized techniques to achieve certain objectives. – Goel

Administration is the organization and use of men and materials to accomplish purposes. It is the
specialized vocation of managers who have skills of organizing and directing men and material just as
definitely as an engineer has skill of building structure. – James L

PHILOSOPHY OF ADMINISTRATION

The administrative experts emphasize the need for the formulation of the philosophy of administration
for this would lead to a much more widespread professional self-consciousness and convinced sense of
direction and social justification among executive that is now characteristic. Marshall E Dimock is so
much impressed with the need for it that he confidently asserts that administration is now so vast an
area than a philosophy of administration comes close to be philosophy of life. He points out the
following tests of what a viable philosophy needs to do and accomplish.

 It must bring into sharp focus, all elements entering into administrative action should, then, be
integrated and brought into a system of proper and unified relationship.
 Where possible principles are developed, it should be borne in mind that they are valid guidelines to
future action under substantially similar conditions.
 Administration is concerned with both ends and means. A skillful fusion of the two is the test of
administrative excellence.
 A philosophy of administration should be conceived in such a way that if not described reality and
provides reliable tool to the executive, it constitutes a grand total which exceeds sum of its parts.
 A good administrative system should communicate spirit and rounded feelings of widespread
satisfaction.
The philosophy underlying the whole field of administration, particularly as it applies to health work,
is based on the following key points:
Administration believes in Cost-effectiveness
In the management or administration of any enterprise for organization, the quantity, quality, timing
and cost of the work necessary to reach the objective of the enterprise are inter-related factors which
must be given constant attention. If the resources of health work, in trained persons and in finances
were unlimited, the need for constant attention to these factors would not be so great. But the
limitation in the number of trained personnel and the lack of adequate financial resources are major
obstacles to greatly improved health in the world today. The resources must be monitored carefully to
accomplish as much as possible what is available.
Administration believes in Execution and Control of Work Plans
One of the greatest possible contributors to wastage of our precious resources, whether at local or
national level, is the failure of those at any level of administration, and at all stages in the management
of the activity, to base all decisions on verifiable facts. There should be no tolerating errors in
administrative action, which occur, because someone failed to get all those facts. In the evolution,
execution and control of work plans, obtaining the factual evidence should always be the first step.
Administration believes in Delegation of Responsibility and Authority
The delegation of responsibility and authority is an important aspect of successful administration, to
place the responsibility for decision at the lowest possible organizational level in order to attain
decision as speedily as possible. No administrator can do in detail al the work he is administering for;
by definition of an administration managers the work of others. Therefore, the principles of delegation
of responsibility should be followed to the utmost extent, consistent with efficiency and co-ordination
of policy. The responsibility and authority place din each position must correspond to the
responsibility which the position carries.
Administration believes in Human Relations and Good Morale
Since the function f administration is to attain an established objective through the management of
people, administration if deeply concerned with human relations. How the individual worker in any
enterprise, including health work, feel about a situation. One of the facts of the situation which the
administrator must take into account assessing the total situation. Good morale of the staff is essential
to the success of any undertaking and that morale is affected by both financial and non-financial
factors. For, the financial factor, the amount of remuneration is often less important to morale than the
knowledge than remuneration of each individual is fair, as compared with that of other staff in the
same organization or institution. Among non-financial factors contributing to good morale is a
personal satisfaction in knowing that a job is well done and the satisfaction of being associated with an
institution of which one can be proud of.
Administration believes in Effective Communication
Effective communications are essential for all aspects of effective administration. Staff must be
adequately and correctly informed about plan, methods, schedule, problem events and progress. It is
necessary that instructions, knowledge and information be passed on for practical application to all
concerned, and that they are so clearly presented as to rule out any misinterpretation or
misunderstanding. Proper and adequate communication is not just in one direction, it requires two-way
passage. Administrators must be certain that they know and understand the problem of workers for
whom they are responsible. Communications must flow from the bottom upwards, as well as from top
to bottom.

PURPOSES OF ADMINISTRATION
 It assists in formulation of objectives.
 It helps in providing high quality nursing care.
 It enables to achieve laid down objectives of an organization.
 It promotes human relations, public relation and IPR.
 It helps in planning, implementing and evaluation of objectives.
 It helps to maintain discipline in organization.
 It maintains and develops good standards.
 It is helpful in conducting research.
 Staff motivation: expensive facilities and equipments do not necessarily make for a good hospital; it
is the people who operate them that make the hospital go. This function is one of the most challenging
functions of a hospital administrator. The staff needs to be motivated to give their best at all times
even in tiring situations. Many discouraging factors and stress situations, in which hospitals abound,
tend easily to lead to erosion in motivation.
 Facilitating decision making: a great part of administration is concerned with decision making.
There are various kinds of decision making in a hospital. When a hospital has sound administration
then the decision making is facilitated.
 Negotiation: the administration spends considerable time negotiating with agencies outside the
hospital and with staff members with in especially regarding their working arrangements and conflict
resolution. Administration must negotiate with third party payers (insurance companies, employers)
regulatory agencies, planning groups, equipment vendors and so on. There are also elements of
negotiation n the hiring of personnel and salary determination.
 Dealing with new technology: hospital practice has become more and more dependent on high
technology which can rapidly outdate as the technological advance continues. Medical staff is
subjected to sales pressure from manufacturers of newer items and they tend to seek what is new
without regards to cost because of the glamour attached with newer sophisticated equipment.
 Management development: every hospital has a few trained managers and administrators. Rapid
changes are occurring which necessitate upgrading the knowledge, skills and attitudes in subordinate
administrative positions. Therefore a part of the educational activities has to b directed to training and
retraining of the administrative personnel and even medical staff, in supervisory and managerial
positions.
 Establishing managerial climate: administrative personnel must be compatible with each other and
with the organization. Where a change in managerial climate is called for, be preparing to recognize
the need and be capable of meeting it.
 Evaluation: the ability to evaluate people, programmes and the overall effectiveness of the hospital
is one of the competencies the administrator has to develop. Evaluation includes evaluation of
employee- clientele relationship and interpersonal behavior.

ELEMENTS OF ADMINISTRATION
Administration may be defined as all t actions rationally performed by one person or a number of
persons in concert to fulfill a common purpose set by someone else of their accomplishment. Professor
Luther Gullick (1937) - summed up certain principles or elements in the word “POSDCORB”. The
hieroglyphic POSDCORB consist of the initials of a number of words under each of which some
administrative activity has been classified and named. POSDCORB is of course a made up word
designed to call attention to the various functional elements of the work of a chief executive because
“administration” and “management” have lost all specific content. POSDCORB is made up of initials
and stands for the following activities:
“P” stands for Planning: That is working out a broad outline, the things that need to be done and the
methods for doing them to accomplish the purpose set for the enterprises or of the purpose in hand.
“O” stands for organizing: That is the establishment of the formal structure of authority through
which work of subdivisions are arranged, defined and co-ordinate for the defined objectives.
In other words building up the structure of authority through which the entire work to be done is
arranged into well-defined subdivisions and co-ordination.
“S” stands for Staffing: That is the whole personnel function of bringing in and training the staff and
maintaining favorable conditions of work. In other words, staffing is appointing suitable persons to the
various posts under the organization and the whole of personnel management.
“D” stand for Directing: That is the continuous task of making decision and embodying them, in
specific and general orders and instructions and serving as leader of the enterprise. Making decisions
and issuing orders and instructions embodying them for the guidance of the staff.
“CO” stands for coordinating: That is all important duty of inter-relating the various parts of the work
and eliminating of overlapping and conflict.
“R” stands for Reporting: That is keeping those to whom the executive is responsible informed as to
what is going on, which thus includes keeping himself and his subordinates informed through records,
research and inspection.
“B” stands for Budgeting: With all that goes with budgeting in the form of fiscal planning, accounting
and control. In the American phraseology, budget stands for the whole of financial administration.

PRINCIPLES OF ADMINISTRATION

The science of administration attempts to discover and impart principles of administration. Principles
can mean either of two things, i.e. ethical nature and generalization of behavior. There is a relationship
between ethical principles as generalization of cause- and- effect. The principle, as ethics may set the
purpose; the generalization may assist in identifying the means whereby the purpose may be achieved.
According to Finer following are the principles of administration.

Principle of Oneness
From the apprehension of purpose, from its absorption, flows directly the oneness of leadership that
gives form to the whole aggregate of people hose skills are needed for its fulfillment. Leadership may
take the form of a single executive or a duo or a triumvirate and they are numerous forms of collective
administrative bodies. One may be final leader to take ultimate decisions. Oneness implies that all the
personnel are members.

The first requirement is that the right of people to have positions of authority, or in other words, the
representatives of the authority of the situation. This returns to the problem mentioned, that is to say,
the selection and promotion methods leading t high places.

However, there are involved all the techniques of persuasion and command; orientation periods,
manuals of policy, periodical conferences, social festivities; the administrator rounds in the manner
appropriate to the personality of the particular collection and human beings on the staff and individual
counseling. It would be idle to protract that list of the techniques of association of the art, as it were, of
making love to other people, getting them wed a purpose or to achieve conversions. This would
involve us in all the sociological and psychological technique.

Principle of Specialism and the Whole

The principle of oneness offers guidance in an endemic problem in administration. The relationship of
the specialist or expert to the total plan. In the administration, each one should become an expert. The
contribution that expertness makes to a whole organization is the sure mastery of part of clinical or
administrative practice, a mastery that others need as an ingredient of their service, and must take on
the authority of the person who is expert. Failure to do this means either a loss of effectiveness or the
need to neglect other work in order to immerse oneself in the specialism, e.g. expert in sweeping, sot
he expertness of the specialist is indispensable and must be preserved and encouraged.

Principle of Hierarchy and Regimentation

Administration has accepted the idea of hierarchy to denote authority coming downwards from above,
but in the sense of chastising dogmatic rule. It accepts it in the sense only of functional
superordination and subordination.
When the administrative scientists talk of hierarchy, they mean not regimentation (Properly applied to
the urgencies of obedience of military forces under fire or training against the day when they will be)
but the pervasion of whole organization with the notion of its oneness, and the fitting together of all
the members vertically (downwards) in the line authority, and horizontally (across) of teams and
colleagues in specialist skill.

Principle of Morale
Morale is the spirit of active devotion to the persons working together for a common purpose. When it
is high, the subjective burdens of the work, its hours, its routines, the patience it demands, the
submissions of personal interesting and values, are lightly carried, and there is an easy and cheerful
demeanor o the part of those who take and give order.
When it is low, the work and purpose looses value, and personality frustrates them. When against,
personal tensions, individual and interpersonal, rise is high and rebelliously more endangered. To buy
morale, all aspects of employees are taken into confidence at all levels.

Principles of Bureaucracy
Bureaucracy is diseased administration, the disease may be defined deficiency in the spirit that created
its purpose that caused organization to be created, so that either co-operation has fallen apart or
activities are executed without any interest in the object originally assigned to them. Bureaucracy is
administration, without purpose, ethos, oneness, or morale; it is the organizational form of personality
equal to the individual person called the “Hollowmen”.

Principle of Self- Administration

Administration begins with the self in relationship tot eh fulfillment of the purpose. The administrator
begins with self-administartino, the adaptation of his own stubborn, passive, incompetent or
dissentient self to the purpose, even if no one else is at work with him on the job.
Every professional worker- singer, actor, boxer, author, scientist, nurse is obliged to administer
himself or herself, they must retain their caprices, harness their energies and abate spiritual and mental
rebellion in their natures for the successful and most economical mastery of purpose. This is self-
administration.
In addition to the above, the following principles should be maintained in the administration.
 To some extent centralization of authority and clear cut responsibility is needed for intelligent
operational work.
 Supervisors should use proper knowledge and skills while directing their subordinates for smooth
and efficient programmes.
 Power supply/ communicating information to all officials or units prevent conflicts and avoid many
problems.

Henri Fayol Principles of Administration or Management

Since principles may be considered as widely accepted statements which are found to be true and
reflective of life situations. To sum up, with fourteen principles of administration were identified by
Henri Fayol as follows:
1. Division of work: In any organization administrator or manager cannot perform all the activities to
achieve its objective. So there should be division of work according to managerial and non-
managerial, or according to job which grouped according to departments, e.g. Department of Nursing,
Department of Pharmacy, and Department of Medicine and so on.
2. Authority, responsibility and accountability: If the person has to perform the job assignment
effectively according to their own qualification and experience, or convention there should be
delegation of authority and responsibility needed, which in turn helps to get accountability.
3. Discipline: For smooth running of administration to achieve objectives, there should be proper
observance of the rules, regulations, norms, decorum, manners code of ethics and respect; this requires
to be enforced within the organization by the managers.
4. Unity of command: In any organization the subordinates should be supervised by a single
supervisor to whom he/ she should be accountable.
5. Unity of direction: In any organization there should be one supervisor to give directions to his/ her
subordinates.
6. Subordination: of individual interest to organizational interest. This implies that narrow selfish
interest should be overcome or should turn to common and broad interest of the organization for its
welfare, e.g. collective bargaining (more salary, more production).
7. Remuneration of personnel: There should be fair policy for payment the personnel justifying the
workload, job hazards, efficiency and quality of performance.
8. Centralization: There should be some amount of greater and larger authority resting with top level
managers.
9. Scalar chain of Command: This implies that there is chain or link of directional instructions from
the top level to the lowest rank of organizational members in the hierarchy.
10. Order: in an administration there should be proper, systematic arrangement of staff, materials,
supplies and equipment according to requirement of specific job departments.
11. Equity: In administration there should be a fair and impartial treatment to all workers irrespective
of their job.
12. Stability of tenure of personnel: Organizations should make proper efforts to ensure stability and
continuity in the tenure of personnel, which gives security and promotes functions.
13. Initiative Administration: should always be encouraging initiative from each employee by allowing
him freedom to do his/ her best.
14. Espirit de corps: It refers to sense of belonging. This fosters the team spirit, i.e. the spirit of
working together to achieve objectives effectively.

SCOPE OF ADMINISTRATION
A full statement of the scope of the public administration must then recognize administrative theory
and applied administration. The field of administration theory in general has been found to be fairly
well mapped out in the books on public administration. The main forms of applied administration
based on its major functions are as follows:
o Political function of the administration includes the executive-legislative relationship, political-
administrative activities of the cabinet or ministry, the minister- permanent official relationship in
short, the study of the twilight zone between politics and administration proper.
o Legislative function includes not merely delegated legislation, but the preparatory work done by the
administrative officials and departments in connection with the drawing up of the bill to be introduced
in the legislature and its passage through that body.
o Financial function includes the whole of financial administration from the preparation of the budget
to its execution, accounting, audit, treasury and management.
o Defensive function covers the military administration.
o Educational function relates to educational administration in its broadest sense.
o Social administration includes the activities of the departments concerned with food, housing,
health, social security, employment, etc.
o Economic administration concerned with the vast field of administrative activities relating to
protection and encouragement, industries and agriculture, securing a prosperous and stable economy,
encouragement and promotion of foreign trade and commerce, running of public utilities and
enterprises by government, regulation of industries in the interest of consumer and so on.
o Foreign administration includes the conduct of foreign affairs diplomacy, international co-
operation, administration of the international agencies of various kinds, etc.
o Imperial administration covers the problems and techniques arising from the rule of one person or
nation over another.
o Local administration is concerned with the activities of local bodies.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ADMINISTRATION and MANAGEMENT

There are many factors according to which administration can be distinguished from management.
These are as follows:

FACTORS ADMINISTRATION MANAGEMENT

Nature of work It is concerned about the It puts into action the policies
determination of objectives and and plans laid down by the
major policies of an organization. administration.
 Type of function It is a determinative function. It is an executive function.

Scope It takes major decisions of an It takes decisions within the

enterprise as a whole.
Level of authority It is a top-level activity.
Nature of status It consists of owners who invest
capital in and receive profits from
an enterprise.
Nature of usage It is popular with government,
military, educational, and
religious organizations.
Decision making Its decisions are influenced by
public opinion, government
policies, social, and religious
factors.
framework set by the
administration.
It is a middle level activity.
It is a group of managerial
personnel who use their
specialized knowledge to
fulfill the objectives of an
enterprise.
It is used in business
enterprises.
Its decisions are influenced
by the values, opinions, and
beliefs of the managers.

Main functions Planning and organizing Motivating and controlling

functions are involved in it. functions are involved in it.

Abilities It needs administrative rather than It requires technical

technical abilities. activities.

REFERENCES

o Basavanthappa BT. Nursing administration. Jaypee brothers; New Delhi: 2000

o http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_management_and_administration
#ixzz1c0MligCC
o http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/spk123spk123-677618-adminiatration-of-
nursing-educational-institutions/