KARATINA UNIVERSITY

PAC 411- EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION

LECTURE 2 NOTES- DR. AMBANI

PRINCIPLES OF EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION

The development of educational administration can be understood in the
context of its historical development. Educational administration has its
beginning in the field of business administration and public administration which
had developed much earlier. The development of concepts, theories of
administration approaches and techniques of business management
influenced the field of educational administration.
To understand the conceptual base of educational management and
administration, its important to underscore the development of
administrative theory discussed in historical perspective. The administrative
theory is analyzed through three administrative theories, commonly
known as approaches to administration theories, commonly known
as approaches to administration. They include:
-The classical or scientific management movement
-The human relations movement
-The social sciences movement

THE SCIENTIFIC/CLASSICAL MANAGEMENT MOVEMENT

Fredrick Taylor (1956-1915) Father of Scientific Management Frederick Taylor
an engineer at Midvale and Bethlehem steel works in Philadelphia
developed a theoretical approach to management. The approach was
popularly known as the scientific management. The approach was based on five
principles which if applied to management would maximize the use of
available human and material resources in achieving the goals of an
organization.
1. Time study principles: this principle stipulated that all times work
done must be measured by accurate and standard
observation, in a certain school situation, for instance, a teacher should report
to work at 8.00a.m and stay on the school compound until 5.00pm.

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2. Piece-rate principle: that is salary (wage) must be proportional
to the work done (output). That is to say a fair day’s pay for fair day’s
work. The more the work the more the pay. Workers, teachers, included should be
motivated by extrinsic rewards
3. Separation of planning from performance principle:
Managers have the ultimate authority and decisions. That is, planning
should be done by the management and not by the workers.
4. Scientific method of work principle: management takes over from the
decisions on methods of working; determine scientifically the most
efficient and train workers accordingly.
5. Management control principle: Managers should be trained in the art of
scientific management so that they can train workers effectively. This means
that management should be trained to apply scientific
principle of management of control.
These principles emphasis maximum production through maximum
use of resources (a belief that workers are motivated by economics and limited
by physiological constraints. Direction of workers make the work as efficient
as machines).
6. Functional management principle:
This means that the organization should be designed in a manner
that it best serves the purpose of improving the coordination of
activities among the various specialists. Under any circumstances
the needs of the organization are given precedence while the individual
needs must be kept outside the organization. (use workers as tools for
management, ignoring their personal needs e.g. when sick, bereaved).
Taylors principles were popular in organizations as they aimed at
lowering the unit of cost of production by increasing the
efficiency of the management.
Taylors ideas led to time-and –motion studies, rigid discipline on the jobs
concentration on the task to be performed with minimal interpersonal
contacts between workers and strict application of incentive pay systems.
These ideas had impact upon Educational administration of schools till 1940’s:
Note shortcoming – man-machine model.

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NB: Others for your study are:
Fayol: He developed 14 principles and five functions of
administrations planning organizing, commanding coordinating
and controlling all these constituted his theory of administration.
Luther Gullik and Lydall Urwik
The two focused on higher level of personnel, they adapted Fayol’s
analysis and defined the job of the manager as indicated by the
letters posdcorb: planning, organization, staffing, directing
oordinating reporting and budgeting.
Personal lecture reflections:
1. Provide your clear conceptualization of the scientific management
theory of education administration as provided by Frederic Tailor.
What are the main tenets of the theory?
2. Explain the main principles of the scientific/classical management
theory.

ADMINISTRATION AS BUREAUCRACY
Max Weber 1984-1920
Max Weber a, German sociologists who focused on the structure of
organizations. His concern was an establishment of ideal organization for
purposes of efficiency. He developed a theory of organization design
known as Bureaucracy. He considered a bureaucratic form of
administration management capable of attaining the highest degree of
efficiency and through which it was possible to exercise imperative control
over human being (through possible control of human beings) He advanced five
principles of Bureaucracy.
1) Hierarchical structure of authority
An ideal organization should have a well defined Hierarchy of
authority , whereby authority is distributed in a pyramidal configuration
or manner from above and each officer in a chain of command is

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responsible for his/her subordinates actions and decisions (what do you think about
this principle Bureaucracy is present with us today. School Headteacher,
Deputy head teacher (Senior teacher) or H.O.D) Ministry
Minister, Assistant Minister , P.S Secretary , under
secretary. The chart below explains the hierarchical structure found in
school administration. Principal – Deputy principal- HoDs- Subject teachers-
teachers.
2) Division of labour
Varied tasks of an organization has varies complex for everyone to
perform with equal competence, it is ideal for individuals to be assigned
tasks as per their training. This would guarantee greater effectiveness in
performance. This principle ensures greater efficiency because:
-Tasks or duties are divided into specialty areas and
-Individual employees are assigned tasks according to their training, skill
and experience.

3) Control by rules
Codified rules should govern official decisions and actions,
to ensure uniformity predictability and stability. Rules
also help in the coordination of activities in the hierarchy and provide
continuity of operation when there are changes in personnel (rules and regulations
make employees know their rights and responsibilities)
4) Impersonal relationships
The working atmosphere should provide the
dominance spirit of formalistic impersonality without
hatred, or passion. Employees are expected to make decisions
based on the part of and not feelings (impersonality on the part of
administrators and teachers assures equality of treatment and facilitates
rationality).
Members of the organization must be subject to strict and systematic discipline and
this will eliminate personal, emotional and irrational elements among the
members.

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5) Career orientation
Max Weber stated that:
a) Employment is based on expertise or specialization
b) Promotion is given according to seniority and/or merit
c) Salary is tied to rank in the hierarchy
d) Individual (employees) are free to resign and then
e) Retirement provisions do exist.
Criticism of Weber’s model of Bureaucracy
Division of labour and specialization can increase production but it can produce
boredom which can reduce production.
Impersonality improves rationality in decision making, but it may
produce a sterile atmosphere where people don’t interact leading to low morale.
Rules and regulations are to provide continuity, but they can produce rigidity
and goal displacement, employees may become goal oriented and forget that
rules are meant to achieve goals and are not ends on themselves.
Career orientation is healthy it produces a sense of loyalty and
motivates employees to maximize their efforts. Promotion based on seniority
and achievement which is not necessarily compatible e.g. Rapid
promotion of high achievers often produces discontent among the royal hard
working senior employees who are not so creative.
RESULTS OF THE SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT
1. The scientific management approach was centralized. Authority flowed from the
top downwards.
2. It used the principle of dehumanization where by workers were
regarded as:
-Products to be manipulated around
-Machines to be compelled to work fast and be efficient at the same time.
3. Human needs were neglected
4. The approach was only concerned with high productivity and a result it became
task oriented.

2. THE HUMAN RELATIONS MOVEMENT

(Mary Parker Follet – 1868-1933)

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This movement was initiated by a social psychologist known as Mary parker
Follet. She was against the scientific movement approach with its principles on high
productivity, efficiency and other physical factors including wages as a means to
motivate workers. Follet who lived in London worked hard to bring about a
better ordered society in which people might live a more satisfying life.
To be able to do this, she proposed four major principles. These
include:
1. Employers and employees should solve their
differences through conferences and cooperation. This
democratic way of solving problems should be done by:
a) The two parties involved listening to each other’s different views on the situation
b) Those parties accepting each other’s view points and understanding each other
better
c) Those parties integrating their view points and becoming united in the pursuit of
the common goal.
2. Coordination must be achieved in the early stages. This principle
stipulates that in order to run well, any organization must have its
duties coordinated from the very beginning.
3. Coordination is the result of the reciprocal understanding of all factors in the
situation. This is to say that both employers and employees should
share in the organization tasks: this will effect better relationship
4. Coordination is a continuing process. That is the sharing of ideas and working
together between the administrators and workers should continue for the
betterment of the administration and the workers.
N/B: By proposing those four principles, Follet emphasized what the
fundamental concern for any social organization should be. This
fundamental concern is the building and maintenance of dynamic, yet
harmonious, human relations.
ELTON MAYO (1880)
Mayo was born in 1880 in Adelaide Australia. He accepted and disseminated follets’s
principles and became the strongest contributor of the human relations
movement. Between 1923 and 1926, he carried out experiments to test the physical
conditioning of workers productivity. The experiments reveled that wages
and physical working conditions did not motivate workers, rather, they

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revealed that the determination factor which affected job productivity was what
went on inside the worker (Intrinsic motivation).
His data revealed therefore that sociological and psychological factors were
the strongest elements in influencing workers productivity
rather than physical and wage factors
These sociological and psychological factors were based on three elements including:
1. Morale: in every group, there are rules which influence the morale for example
creative a conducive workplace.
2. Job satisfaction: over production and underproduction were both
discouraged since it lead to the danger of dismissal
3. Team-spirit: this was encouraged. The human relations movement
according to Mayo had two major principles. These were:
 1. Satisfaction: this principle stated that the organization with the most
satisfied workers would be the most efficient.
 2. Democracy: this principle pointed out that democracy must prevail in any
organization through:
a) Employee participation in decision making
b) Delegation of responsibilities to the workers by the administration
c) Open channels of communication between employers and workers as well
as among workers.
d) Administration and workers could solve their difference democratically
through conference and cooperation.
RESULTS OF THE HUMAN RELATIONS MOVEMENT
There were four effects brought about by the human relations movement.
These included:
1. Decentralization of responsibilities by the administration. In other
words workers were given some responsibilities to plan in the running of the
organization:
2. Managers made it easy for workers to cooperate in the attainment of the
organizational goals
3. Workers were provided with opportunities to enhance their personal
growth and development;
4. The human relations movement was an employee oriented approach. That is,
it was concerned with people and their needs.

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3. THE SOCIAL SCIENCES MOVEMENT (1950-1970)
 This movement is also referred to as the behavioral
movement. This movement was opposed to the scientific
management movement which it criticized as being too
harsh in its approach to workers.
 It also criticized the human relations movement as being too soft
on the workers to the detriment of the organizational objectives.
 The social sciences movement advocated the view that both
approaches should be used appropriately to effect
satisfaction for both the organization and the workers.

CHESTER BARNARD (1940s)

Barnard initiated the movement in the 1940s. He stressed the need for a systematic
conceptual scheme of administration behavior within a social science
framework. In other words he advocated the recognition of workers as psychological-
social beings. Barnard seems to use this since he utilizes human behavior for both
organization and the workers.
To achieve this imperative understanding, administrators or managers should be
equipped with some knowledge of social sciences disciplines including
psychology, sociology, government and economics. A good
administrator/manager has a good insight of the working situation, the job and the
worker himself.
THE RESULTS OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCE MOVEMENT
This movement has two important effects namely:
 It sees administration emerging from different disciplines and not
necessarily from education institutions
 It reveals that today, those who train as school administrators are also expected to
have some knowledge of social science like economics and governance.
 N/B This approach is considered thorough understanding
of first, the worker as social being: second, of the situation
surrounding the workers and third, of the job worker does within
the given situation.

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Personal reflection tasks:
1. Summarize the main tenets of the three movements discussed.
2. Brainstorm the application of the movements in educational practices in
Kenya today.