Psychology and Administration are disciplines between which there is a close interrelation since their emergence. The Administration has emerged as a productive force in the development of the various spheres of social life, and is aimed at obtaining superior results in the achievement of the objectives set by man. Psychology for its part has within its object, the study of psychic activity, personality and the performance of man in the different spheres of social life, there are branches such as Social and Work Psychology that is aimed at the study of the activity and the interrelations that occur between men in the development of the work process, therefore Psychology constitutes a tool of the Administration.
Psychology and Administration are considered as disciplines that act in the context of the social sciences, being sciences in training taking into account their history, as well as that they are at an empirical level of knowledge development, both fulfilling the Requirements to possess systematized sets of knowledge that are based on laws and principles, possessing a specific object and methods of construction and transformation of reality.
As Carnota, O. (1987) puts it: «Management is fundamentally a discipline of a social type inasmuch as its action is aimed at leading men and therefore the social group towards certain achievements consistent with a specific social system and under certain restrictions. In other words, it is exercised by people and on people, hence, ultimately, it is the work of man, the goal that is set, his knowledge, his constancy, his honesty, his ideological vision of objective reality, which gives the content and determines the results of this activity. »
The exact science model cannot be used to apply it to these disciplines, since there are substantial differences in the objects, the human factor being a complex and dynamic element which must be studied in its peculiarities.
Both in psychology and in administration there is a set of currents in their historical development, which focus, starting from different theoretical and methodological positions, the object of these disciplines. Thus, in the field of Administration Chiavenato, I. (1986) formulates the existence of the following approaches:
- Classical School of Scientific Work Administration School of Human Relations Bureaucratic Model Structuralist Theory Neoclassical School Behaviorist Theory Organizational Development Theory Systematic School
Regarding Psychology, we can point out among the main approaches the following:
- PsychoanalysisBehaviorismGestaltHumanistic PsychologyCognitive PsychologyMarxist Psychology
Regardless of recognizing the existence of several theoretical approaches in Psychology and in Administration, the nature of sciences of both disciplines can be affirmed within the context of the social sciences, since the object of both is specified, there are laws, principles and methods common, regardless of different perspectives and approaches, starting from the theoretical basis that sustains these currents.
It is recognized by specialists in Administration, the complex and interdisciplinary nature of this, based on the influence and participation of a set of sciences in the science of administration, derived from this, some propose the existence of administration sciences.
It is considered that regardless of the role and contribution of a group of particularities of sciences to the Administration, it has a well-defined object of study. And although it can be stated that in the existing literature, most authors recognize the participation of disciplines such as: law, pedagogy, economics, psychology, cybernetics and others, sometimes it is not well specified at what level and to what degree each of these particular sciences contribute to the administration, being our intention in the case at hand to specify the contribution and interaction of psychology to business administration.
It is interesting to approach the problem of the object of study of the administration when analyzing the different concepts offered by representatives of different schools and approaches, with a view to determining the common elements between them.
The Administration is for Ordway Tead (1956): "the set of activities of certain individuals who have the mission of ordering, directing and facilitating the collective efforts of a group of people gathered in an entity, for the realization of previously defined objectives".
Omarov, A. (1980) conceives the Administration as: "the conscious influence of the management bodies on the human groups in order to ensure the achievement of the objectives set, organizing and guiding their activity accordingly."
Carnota, O. (1987) defines management as: "a conscious way of acting on organizational systems, their subsystems and other elements with a view to obtaining certain results under certain conditions and restrictions."
Koontz, H. and H. Weihreich (1987) state: «Administration is an essential activity; ensures the coordination of individual efforts to achieve group goals. The purpose of every manager is to establish an environment in which people can achieve group goals with the least amount of time, money, materials, and personal dissatisfaction.
Stoner, J. and R. Freeman, (1995) define Administration as: «the process of planning, organizing, leading and controlling the work of the members of the organization and of using all the available resources of the company to achieve the objectives Organizational Establishments ”.
As can be seen in the definitions that representatives of different theories and schools provide on Administration, there are two essential directions, one referring to the subject-object relationship as the main executors of the process without which it is not possible, so it would be a great absurdity disregarding or trying to minimize the human factor. Just as it is absurd to reduce Administration to human relations exclusively, since there is another essential dimension that constitutes the technological aspect, referring to the set of actions that are developed to achieve the objectives, not to recognize, value and analyze the balance Between the two elements, it is one of the greatest shortcomings that a theory about Administration can have.
Regarding the interrelation of Psychology and Administration, unlike some authors such as Omarov, A., who value the participation of psychology only at the level of the use of methods and techniques, it is proposed as one of the formulations of this work, that Psychology contributes directly to the nucleus of the Administration theory, since in every administrative theory or school there is a conception about man and his performance, as we will observe when analyzing the history of the interrelation between the different currents in Administration and Psychology.
It is impossible to exhaust in this work, the history of Psychology linked to Administration in its entirety, but it is unavoidable when assessing the relationship between both disciplines, consider the fundamental historical aspects of this relationship.
From the first moments in which a scientific theory about administration is formulated, psychology has been inextricably linked to it, in fact the integration of postulates of Psychology to the theory of Administration is proposed, meaning that every theory, school or current of The Administration carries with it a conception about the performance of the human being, which is the object of study of Psychology.
It is recognized among Administration scholars that the first formulations that sought to give this discipline a science character are the postulates of the so-called Classical School of the scientific organization of work. One of the essential aspects that characterize this trend is its emphasis on aspects related to the organization of work, conceiving man as a purely economic being.
Everything has its origin
The Industrial Revolution with the consequent socialization of work from the development of manufacturing processes, led to the search for regularities in the management of large groups of people.
The classical school of the scientific organization of work arises as an attempt by Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915), its initiator, to scientifically approach the administrative process on the basis of the analysis of work through the study of times and movements, decomposing the work in its simplest component elements and looking for the methods through which it will be possible to increase the productivity of the workers.
The signs of the use of recruitment on a systematic basis emerge deep in the bowels of the school of scientific management. Frederick Taylor (1903) in his book Shop Management proposed a group of management principles related to the supervision of the workers' work, formulating as a first principle: «Assign each worker the highest possible task, according to his personal aptitudes (scientific selection of the worker). » Later in 1911 in his work The Principles of Scientific Administration, he formulates the principle of preparation, in which he contemplates the need to: "Scientifically select workers and prepare and train them to produce more and better." (Chiavenato, I., 1986)
A significant example of how Taylor approached the selection of workers, on the basis of the so-called first-rate man, based on physical qualities and with the conception that man only works for money, is the case of a worker named Schmidt, which was selected based on his physical qualities and was instructed on the basis of absolute obedience to his trainer in all the operations he had to carry out to transport 47.5 tons of iron ingots in one day.
Among other representatives of this period is Harrington Emerson (1853-1931) who was the man who popularized scientific management and developed the first works on employee selection and training.
The so-called classical school of the scientific organization of work, had among its main representatives Frederick Winslow Taylor, Henry Lawrence Gantt, Harrington Emerson, Henry Ford, Frank Buncker Gilbreth and Carl George Lange Barth, among others.
Another of the precursors of Administration as a science was Henry Fayol (1841-1925), who studied the organization fundamentally from the point of view of its structural interrelations. Fayol raised the existence of six groups of basic functions in the operation of a company and that each essential function corresponds to a certain specific capacity that man must possess to perform it well. These basic functions are technical, commercial, financial, security, accounting, and administrative. Among the main qualities to develop these functions, Fayol points out physical qualities, intellectual qualities, moral qualities, general culture, special knowledge and experience.
However, points of contact can be identified between some principles and postulates of the Classical theory of the Scientific Organization of Work that constitute the object of treatment by Psychology. Thus, among the principles addressed by FW Taylor in his conception of work organization, is the selection and training of workers, which obviously implies a work of study of the individual fundamentally based on their skills and psychophysiological traits. It must be meant that this is the first orientation of the object of study of work psychology, so we can affirm that the relationship between both disciplines arises from the bowels of the first attempt at scientific elaboration of a theory on Management,from this period we can point to the work of Lilliam Gilbreth published in 1914 "The Psychology of Administration."
Another of the greatest exponents of this theory was Henry Fayol, who addressed within his theoretical conception the existence of a set of qualities that an administrator should possess and the need to train them taking into account their personal skills and qualities, as well as it also refers within its principles, to team spirit and the role that communication plays in it.
Among the forerunners of human factor analysis in industry is Ordway Tead, (1918, 1929, 1935) who turned his attention to worker psychology. O. Tead addresses the concept of leadership as well as the methods used to exercise it and introduces elements related to democratic leadership, linking it to the importance of formulating objectives with the participation of the executors, as well as outlining the steps for the process decision-making, current aspects handled in contemporary administration.
Another of the precursors of the link between Psychology and Administration is Mary Parker Follet (1868-1933), considered one of the main exponents of the so-called "Organization Psychology", emphasizing the aspects related to human relations and integration individual - organization.
Mary Parker Follet (1942) also deals with problems related to motivation and leadership. Another relevant aspect closely linked to the current theory of contingency is the law of the situation, as well as formulates the principles of coordination, as a basic aspect in the administrative process, in which interpersonal relationships and communication play a preponderant role., also emphasizing the need for the participation of leaders and subordinates in the planning of tasks.
Chester Barnard (1971), who formulates the theory of the organization as a social system, elaborating a conception of participation and cooperation, in which it gives vital importance to social relationships, as well as addressing aspects related to the personal characteristics of the individual based on the tasks to be performed.
A radical shift in the center of the object of study of the Administration and as a reaction to the Classical School, was constituted by the so-called School of Human Relations, which places the human factor as the central axis, fundamentally conceiving the worker as a social homus. In this current, obviously, there was an intense participation of Psychology, when the human factor was placed as a common object of study. This school was based on the well-known Hawthorne experiments carried out by Elton Mayo.
The Bureaucratic Model emerged in the 40s, representing a new turn in the Administration, it had an orientation based on the Classical School, in which it is pursued through norms, prescriptions and division of functions, the non-interference of emotions in job performance. However, the incidence of the human factor within this school can be assessed, in the sociologist Max Weber's analysis of the types of society and antiquity by classifying them as traditional, charismatic and rational, legal or bureaucratic, recognizing the presence of socio-psychological factors in charismatic authority.
In the 1950s, Structuralist theory emerged, which tried to correct the schematism of bureaucratic theory, in the sense of including and assessing aspects related to the incidence of the human factor, addressing aspects such as the correspondence between the formal and informal organization, between the objectives of the organization and personal objectives and between material and social stimuli.
The so-called Neoclassical School also emerged around the 1950s, with a marked eclectic and empiricist character, which has among its main representatives Peter Drucker, and although it bases its precepts on the classical theory of the scientific organization of work, it addresses In its postulates, aspects related to the human factor, such as: organization as a social system, informal organization and group dynamics, communications, leadership, style, and organizational and individual objectives, highlighting the techniques of management by objectives., in which they emphasize the importance of participation and commitment of those involved.
The Behaviorist theory of Administration places a strong emphasis on the human factor and the functioning of the organization as a whole, treating aspects of marked psychological orientation such as motivation, being able to distinguish the works carried out by Lewin, K., Mc Gregor, D., Maslow, A., Herzberg, F., and Mc Clelland, D. As well as the works on leadership and leadership systems developed by H. Likert. Being evident the role played in this trend, by Psychology when seeing its main representatives.
The theory of Organizational Development as well as the Behaviorist Theory, are considered more as sets of techniques, than as schools of Administration properly.
Organizational Development is mainly developed by psychologists in the 1960s, and has at its center the planned development of organizations. At its bases are the works carried out on training groups and sensitivity trainings, as well as conceptions of biology on the development of living organisms and the dynamics of change, addressing aspects related to systems, without giving weight that will acquire this concept that will become a school of administration. It develops a group of its own techniques such as team development, provision of additional information, transactional analysis, behavioral meetings, treatment of intergroup conflicts, sensitivity laboratories, the process of change,widely used in current approaches to Administration. Within this current we can point to Rogers, C., Lippitt, R., Blake, R., Mouton, J., Leavitt, H., Schein, E., and Bennis, W. among others.
Systems theory is an approach that, due to its functionality, applicability and consistency, has permeated the different branches of knowledge, among which the Administration cannot be subtracted. The conception that Administration is a system is shared by most of the scholars of this complex sphere of knowledge, thus the existence of a so-called Systematic School of Administration can be distinguished. This school has among its bases the formulations of Luwidg Von Bertallanffy on systems theory, although in general terms the essential elements of this theory are contained in the formulations of Marx C. and F. Engels. Within this school there are different positions that emphasize mathematical models, communication models,systems engineering and others, but in our case we will refer to the sociotechnical approach due to the integrating nature of the social and technological aspects. Among the main formulations that sustain the sociotechnical approach, the results of the experiences of Trist, E. et al. (1963) in the Tavistock mines, in which it was concluded that the results in business performance do not depend only of technology, nor of the human factor, but are the result of an adequate interrelation between these aspects of the system.in which it was concluded that the results in business performance do not depend only on technology or the human factor, but are the result of an adequate interrelation between these aspects of the system.in which it was concluded that the results in business performance do not depend only on technology or the human factor, but are the result of an adequate interrelation between these aspects of the system.
Among the main representatives of the different approaches to the systematic school are Shannon C., Wiener N., Optner S., Hall, A., Likert R., Katz, D., Kahn R., Trist, E. among others. If the trajectory of the Administration's history is analyzed chronologically, it is observed how it moves in zigzag, from theories that emphasize technology, and those that emphasize the human factor, with a current trend towards the intermediate shaft.
It is important to note that although we place the theories in the period of their emergence, many of their formulations and techniques are still used, achieving in certain theories a certain balance between both factors, an approach that we consider the most successful in the exercise of a adequate theory and practice of the Administration.
Thus, there is a current tendency to show approaches, being able to cite the so-called "Y" Theory by McGregor, D., as opposed to the "X" since in the new theory it is stated that the human being not only accepts responsibility but also seeks it As well as that not only threat and punishment are the only means of generating an effort towards organizational objectives, Theory «Z» (1979) Ouchi, W., idealized by the Japanese combines the interests for production as in the Theory "X" interest in man as in Theory "Y", but also achieves an interest in the company itself through the motivation of workers and their work in groups.
It can be affirmed that in the current panorama of Management, different theoretical and methodological positions coexist and complement each other. At the beginning of the 1980s the "Theory of Excellence" emerged in the US, more recently the "Alpha Theory" »Whose author is Francisco Javier Palom. This theory formulates the preponderant role of knowledge and empowerment, which are considered the keys to contemporary leadership.
To summarize the formulation that each of the main schools of Administration carries an implicit conception about the performance of man, the following table can be evaluated:
| Administrative School | Conception of Man |
| Classic: of work organization | Economic Homo |
| Human relations | Homo Social |
| Bureaucratic | Economic Homo |
| Neoclassical | Organizational Homo |
| Behaviorist | Homo Social |
| Organizational development | Homo Social |
| Systemic | Organizational Homo |
| Alpha Theory | Competitive Homo |
Actually the worker is to be economic, social, administrative, organizational and competitive, at the same time and his motivations on the basis of which the needs are found are conditioned by a whole set of social, technological, political, psychological and economic factors, all to be taken into account. account to achieve efficient performance of work activity.
Summarizing the ideas
As significant aspects of the analysis of the interaction of Psychology and Administration, it can be concluded by stating the following:
- Every current or school of Administration carries within a psychological conception of man. The factors of social development have been the determining element in the emphasis that is made on the evaluation of socio-psychological factors and the human factor in Administration, producing a qualitative leap, when a factor is unilateralized, emerging a reaction approach that will tend to seek balance.There are multiple currents in the Administration that unilateralize a certain aspect, be it work organization, human relations, structure, bureaucracy, mathematics, or system, considering that in a contingency approach, in certain circumstances or in certain parts of the process, there may be a need to tip the balance towards one of these aspects,which constitutes a determining factor for the solution of different problems, but as a theoretical conception it must tend to a balance between the human and technological factor, the socio-technical approach in solving the problems of the Administration.
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