The present article aims to make a description of the historical bases for the understanding of the evolution of the administration and in turn of the administrative theory.
The theories and each of the sciences that govern the life of the human being have principles from the early stages of human development, in turn the theories are the result of the historical context, such is the case of the Administration, primitive man had to use techniques to be able to carry out each of the activities for their daily life and understand the principles used by the different civilizations in fishing, agriculture and livestock, historical resources show us that ancient societies carried out the realization of their objectives through the search for a practice that made it possible to lead a more organized society through the use of planning, organization and control.
Throughout the organizational life of man it has been found that there is a need to find the bases to be able to manage the processes, therefore, in order to find the historical point of the Administration it is necessary to go back to the traces of the past divided into (Peña, 2010):
Old Administration:
- Sumeria with its administrative control of taxes, Babylon forging the minimum wage, the Hebrew people with its social organization, Egypt with its government capable of creating complex architectural projects that required organization of thousands of people, China with decision-making through councils in high command, Greece through the philosophy issued by Socrates in his faithful belief "separate from technical knowledge and experience"; the modes of government that governed the city, social classes, public affairs Persia through Cyrus with the value towards human relations, Rome the different companies, their management and the people in charge of them, during his empire and in its fall, Judea with the leadership established by Jesus and their lifestyle in community.Starting with the fall of the Roman Empire in the time of Constantinople, whose characteristic is the disorganization of the regime, the participation of the Catholic Church in the government and the creation of the objectives of the same religious organization through hierarchies, the accounting of economic resources and transactions revolve around the momentum taken in Italy.
Administration of the Modern Age
- Selection and training of personnel and the principles to adapt and apply the administration within organizations, the divisions of teamwork in organizations and how it is rewarded in the economic part in the production processes.
Contemporary Age Administration
- Through the Industrial Revolution, when implementing tools and techniques that allowed to potentiate development, The importance of personnel selection and those characteristics that human work had to fulfill.
Administration etymology
The etymological principles of the Administration come from its root in the Latin “ad”, that is, al and “ministrare” whose meaning is service of, in turn, by joining these two words, it leads to the fulfillment of a function under the command of another person or provision of a service to another (Uniminuto University Corporation, 2009). Manage also refers to serving, governing and governing, to direct towards the fulfillment of objectives.
It was in the middle of the 20th century when the Administration boomed and its evolution continues to this day. The main character of the administration is Frederick Taylor, formalizing his effort to increase productivity and efficiency in production through the scientific method; But in order to know the core of the concept, it is necessary to know the meaning and the contextual definition given to it by different authors.
Defining Administration
The Administration have an impact on the world of production in labor processes, the coordination of people's work depending on the different skills to carry out common tasks (Pérez, 2001).
That is why defining the Administration as such turns out to be interesting because it depends on the objective and the context in which it is being applied, today equivalent words to direction, management and management are also considered. (Hernández, 2011)
Of the definitions that usually are to specify what the Administration is, then different authors state what it consists of:
Henry Fayol, "Administration is a process that consists of forecasting, organizing, directing, coordinating and controlling."
Koontz & Weihrich, "Administration, is defined as the process of designing and maintaining an environment in which people, working in groups, efficiently achieve selected goals, its objective is to achieve productivity focused on obtaining ends or results."
George R. Terry, "Distinctive process that consists of the planning, organization, direction, execution and control of work through the use of people and resources of various kinds."
James A. and Stoner, "It is 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 established organizational objectives."
Herber A. Simon, "Human, rational and cooperative action to reach certain objectives."
Robert Mc Namara, "Means by which technological and political social changes can be rationally organized and extended to the whole of the social body."
Idalberto Chiavenato, “Administration is the rational conduct of the activities of an organization, whether it is for profit or not for profit. It deals with the approach to the organization (structuring) of the management and control of all the different activities due to the division of labor that occur within an organization ”.
Fritz Mostern Marx, “Administration is any action aimed at converting a purpose into objective reality, it is the systematic order of actions and the calculated use of resources applied to the realization of a purpose, anticipating the obstacles that may arise in achieving it. it is the action of direction and supervision of the work and the appropriate use of materials and elements to carry out the proposed purpose with the lowest cost of energy, time and money ”.
Luther Gulick, "It is a knowledge system by means of which men establish relationships, predict results and influence the consequences of any situation in which they organize to work together to achieve common purposes."
Carlos Dávila, "It is a social practice that is outlined as the management of the resources of an organization through the administrative process of planning, coordination, direction, organization and control."
The Art of War, "Decision process by means of which scarce resources are distributed in a certain number of alternatives, with the purpose of planning, organizing, directing and controlling the business in such a way that the desired objectives are achieved."
Administration scenarios
Administration has been considered as an art in ancient times, however, today it is also considered as technique and science.
As art
According to the documents found in ancient times, Administration was considered an art, because the concept revolved around the fact that making resources work was an ability to strengthen the creativity of human talent to organize and obtain results.
As a technique
As it is considered as a technique, it is because knowledge is reflected in practice, it is composed through rules and instruments with dynamic procedures for processes, organization and human resources.
As science
The Administration is also considered a science because it is given by the contiguous knowledge of universal value, which studies the organizations and the consolidation of these in a business environment, to understand the progress of the operation, growth and dynamics of the same.
Characteristics that constitute the Administration
The Administration is composed of elements that differ from other sciences, to establish rational systems of cooperative effort, through which common purposes can be achieved that cannot be achieved individually (Arias, 2004)
Rigidity in administration is inoperative, while administrative concepts, theories and principles are adapted to the needs of each social group (Hernández RS, 1994).
According to Chiavenato, in order for the Administration to be able to achieve the established objectives, the following characteristics are needed:
Administration is Universal
In every body where society is implicit, systemic coordination is applied in the decision-making process that lead to the achievement of organizational objectives through planning, organization, command and control.
Examples of the universality of Administration in companies, educational institutions
Administration is Specific
The principles of the Administration are concrete so that each of the elements that constitute it are defined and established to fulfill the objective for which they were established.
Administration simplifies work
Through establishing principles, procedures and methods, it brings with it the facility to achieve the objectives quickly and effectively.
The Administration is productive and efficient
Once again it is reiterated that when the objectives are met through the Administration, productive results are obtained that therefore efficiency is sought.
Administration is flexible
Without a doubt, the Administration can be adaptable to each context that has defined objectives to achieve.
The Administration is a temporary unit
The elements of organizing, controlling, directing, etc. are constantly being executed. in different stages, each one has its time and space.
Administration is an instrumental value
Actions are carried out in the Administration to be able to reach an objective with efficient results.
Administration is breadth of exercise
It is applicable in each of the social levels that make up the organism.
Objectives of the Administration
The Administration is delimited to be able to cover functional, social, corporate and personal traits. A brief description of each of them is given below.
- Functional, in the management of tools or procedures to carry out activities at an appropriate level of the needs of the organization, to avoid wasting resources Social, relate and work with human resources for cooperative purposes, avoiding conflicts between individuals Corporate, for the vision of the environment and to be able to identify what is important to be able to reach the end that will lead to success. Personal, to know what is needed to know the aspirations of each one of those who are participating in the organization.
Henry Fayol is the first to systematize in his book "Industrial and Managerial Administration" the managerial procedure through fourteen objectives.
- Economic rationality, responsible for the link between the results and the expenses that the activity entails, to meet the objective with the least number of financial, human and material resources.Orientation to objectives, all elements are directed to the fulfillment of the established objectives.Unit Between management and information, communication is achieved through solidarity interaction between those responsible for the activity through better planning, organization and direction.Unit of command and unity of management, the direction of the sum of the union of people for the achievement of the forged objectives Authority and responsibility, with the guidance of a command that issues guidelines, expect responsible obedience for the tasks that are performed Discipline,the instinctive behavior of wanting to work towards the dedication of an end Personal remuneration, self-satisfaction about the result sought Equity, staff loyalty through desirable equality Team spirit, with the performance and skills of each of the participants in the achievement of the defined objective Balance, equitable control of the administration of the activities for the stability of the conditions Scientific-technical process, quality in the application of techniques and methods Integration, systematization of a everything to complement all the activities.with the performance and abilities of each of the participants in the achievement of the delimited objective Balance, equitable control of the administration of the activities for the stability of the conditions Scientific-technical process, quality in the application of techniques and methods.Integration, the systematization of a whole so that it is complemented with all activities.with the performance and abilities of each of the participants in the achievement of the delimited objective Balance, equitable control of the administration of the activities for the stability of the conditions Scientific-technical process, quality in the application of techniques and methods.Integration, the systematization of a whole so that it is complemented with all activities.
The administrative process
There is a variation in the number of functions depending on the authors, however, each of these are related and are vital so that the administration process can be carried out and that is that administrative functions are useful in organizing knowledge administrative that is why in this article the administrative functions that are described by Henry Fayol have been selected:
To plan
The principles of the word give the meaning of establishing plans to guide the goal to action. According to George Terry, he explains that planning involves selecting information and making assumptions about the future to formulate necessary activities and achieve objectives (Terry, 1986). Determine the goals to be achieved in the future, delimiting it to establish when and how it will be done. That is, to establish the action plan to be carried out and is the basis for the other functions of the administrative process, with anticipation of the factors or conditions that may alter the future development of the goal constitution and based on this stage of the process. the evaluation of the results achieved is determined, trying to take advantage of each of the elements.
Organize
To follow the action plan, one must start through an order of activities to make the objective a reality in structuring the function that each individual fulfills by providing the resources for the marked purpose. Harold Koontz's conclusions regarding organization show that organizing is grouping activities to achieve certain objectives, assigning each group a person with the necessary authority to supervise and coordinate the entire structure vertically and horizontally (Koontz, H., & Weihrich, H.)
Then the organization is in charge of establishing an order of each of the components of the plan, to conform the material, human and financial resources for the fulfillment of the objective.
Lead
With the intention of guiding, selecting and evaluating the activities for the fulfillment of the goal. The context that is given to the word direction in administrative processes refers to the function that intervenes in people for the realization of goals and the consolidation of the goals established in the plan and the deal is directly with the human resource where it is The motivation of each of those involved is necessary and satisfies the efforts at work and announces the effectiveness around communication.
The leadership role is vital as it becomes the essence and the heart of the entire administrative process. The application of the techniques in other functions of the process is useless if a good execution is not achieved.
As an important element for this function, there is the component of motivation where those external means intervene that promote, direct and preserve the behavior by influencing the actions of people
Control
Monitor performance in comparing standards and apply corrective actions only if necessary to achieve plan compliance. Carreto explains that the control function ensures that the actual activities conform to the planned activities, which is why it is said that control starts from the point where planning ends.
Thus, the administrative control constitutes a systematic start to specify performance levels with the objective set from the planning stage, consequently to outline those systems to carry out the feedback to compare the expected with the results, if it is necessary to implement the changes to certify that each of the resources are used efficiently in the pursuit of achieving the objectives established at the beginning of the administration process.
- Pre-control, implemented before starting the planned activities in human, material and financial resources. Executives, detects the variations that harm the plan, before finishing the activities. Selection, determines the future through the condition to follow or not, for variations away from the specified target.
Theories of Administration
The Administration's purpose is to achieve objectives that are achieved through actions and the moderate use of human, material and financial resources, which is why it is necessary to contemplate basic aspects that start from the General Theory of Administration (Medina, 2002).
Theory of Scientific Management (from the particular to the general)
From the approach of a theoretical framework, it was necessary to scientifically explain the rational method to solve the problems present in the organization. The character who developed specific concepts in this area was Frederik Winson Taylor (1856-1915), originally from Philadelphia in the United States, inspired by his family environment of discipline, dedication to work and savings habits. Taylor emphasized studying the problem of production, work design, scientific selection, and improving people's work; at that time when the system of payment by piece or by task was in force, that is, the motivation of the worker only consisted of receiving an economic remuneration.
In 1911, he published his book Principles of Scientific Administration, where he made known the scientific theory that consists of the three principles below:
One best way (the only better way to do each job)
It consists of rationalizing the work techniques, by emphasizing each of the areas in a specific order to set standard times for the execution of operations and tasks; so that the tasks could be carried out in a more concise way, he delimited positions to be in charge of carrying out the specific activities, this in turn led to an eagerness to become specialists in the area performed, to be subsequently evaluated by a supervisor.
The conception of limited man in his work was in this theory, since it was specifically to seek retribution for doing a job, with this the idea that man did not pursue his motivations and that this type of mentality led to the bad organization of time of the worker.
Differential rate system
Describes the expected remuneration in question for the work performed by the worker, then, the more work he performs, the more economic rewards he has. The name of Homo Economicus was born, which defines the worker as one who is influenced and determined by receiving wage, economic and material rewards.
Efficiency
Completing the scientific theory that the motive is economic retribution, the worker also depends on a set of conditions that generate the worker's physical well-being and save the worker from exhaustion, as a function of increased productivity. In order to carry out efficient processes, he put into practice four principles:
- Plan the method Prepare the workers to produce more and in the best conditions Control according to the established norms and in coherence with the delimited plan.
Classical Theory of Administration (from the general to the particular)
The representative who made the greatest contributions to this theory is Henry Fayol (1824-1917), whose study in his publication "Industrial and General Administration" is characterized by paying attention to the structure of the organization as a closed system. It also applies the scientific principles of administration in terms of structure and operation; According to Fayol, the company performs the following functions:
- Technical functions, production of goods or services of the company Commercial functions, buying and selling Financial functions, obtaining and managing capital Security functions, protection of goods and people Accounting functions, records, costs and statistics.
According to Chiavenato and Stoner they argue that this theory has fourteen principles for the administrative process:
Division of labor, authority, discipline, unity of command, unity of direction, subordination of the individual good to the common good, compensation of personnel, centralization, hierarchy, order, equity, staff stability, initiative and team spirit.
Max Weber (1864-1920) was the exponent who contributed studies on the bureaucratic theory in question of the monetary economy, capitalism, the industrial revolution and the Protestant ethic, in industrial societies, with the need to establish a hierarchical structure linked to norms and guidelines of authority.
It promotes the conditions under which the person who has power justifies their legitimacy and how the people who are under their authority should submit. The bureaucracy model presents the emphasis on organizational structure specifically:
- Charismatic domination, justified by the characteristics of leadership depending on your trust and conviction Traditional dominance, the power of the boss and inheritance in the organization Legal dominance, justified in the law regardless of the boss or leader.
The hierarchical structure is the one that governs the organization and each position is under the control of a superior and each person is responsible for their function (specialization, structuring, prediction, stability, rationality and democracy) so it has to give results before the authority, supported by the rules.
Theory of Human Relations (School of Behavioral Sciences)
This theory is defined by the studies carried out by Follet and Barnard, so that from the classical theory Mary Parker Follet approached the Administration from the humanist perspective, where the workers had a teamwork mentality in search of a common purpose with The organization, promoted by a dynamic leadership and finding the solution to problems through moderate coordination applying direct contact between the people involved, start from the first moment in planning with a moderate follow-up of activities.
Chester Barnard dedicated to establishing his theory that spoke about organizations seen as a social system that seeks goals and as a whole satisfies the needs of employees, setting the course for current forms of administration where the company is cooperative between individuals as in the organization.
These studies between Follet and Barbard led to the fact that in 1920 the theory of Human Relations had a boom due to the political, social and economic context in which it was involved, promoting the administration of people and the importance of the human factor with two factors:
- Adaptation of the worker to work, emphasis on human characteristics and the selection of personnel. Adaptation of work to the worker, motivation of interpersonal relationships and communication in the organization.
Elton Mayo's studies also applied the scientific method to study people in the work environment with a management that encourages employees to consequently work more and with better quality, while when motivation and efficiency deteriorate it is considered that human relationships are not effective.
Scientific Theory of Behavior
Starting from the fact that man has to be considered in administration, Abraham Maslow formulates that man's needs are structured in a pyramid
Where survival needs are found at the base and those at the top have to do with self-realization needs, allowing this figure to follow the order of needs that the organization must satisfy in its workers, ensuring that the organization covers the salary needs before others defined by Maslow.
Douglas Mc Gregor proposed two more theories that added further knowledge in the scientific management of behavior:
- Theory X, people interested in the economic result, who need guidance, lazy, indifferent to the objectives of the organization Theory Y, people who have the potential to continue developing, responsible, work to meet the goals of the organization, satisfaction with their performance, participation.
Current Approaches to Management Theory
With respect to the latest theories proposed by Mc Gregor, others are derived that complement what is currently experienced in the application of the administration.
Total Quality Theory
After the Second World War it had penetration in the East specifically in Japan by E. Deming (the prophet of quality) for the reconstruction of the country, to define greater productivity, efficiency and effectiveness, with the implementation in the first phases of the process of the Administration and is called “Kaysen”.
Kaysen says that quality has an effect on the early detection of defects and therefore it is easier to correct from planning and prevention, through statistical means to eliminate errors with control charts where they are included the following aspects:
Improve quality, the person in charge of a job is the expert and must be involved in doing their job well, in turn, they must feel important in carrying out their activity, working as a team, using graphic techniques, a climate of trust in the organization.
Theory Z (Japanese Administration)
Together with the principles of Total Quality William Ouchi concentrated the best of the application of this type of Administration in America and Japan, proposing that organizations should focus greater interest in satisfying the needs of human resources (previously identified by their personal characteristics) with participation in decision-making and the conception of responsibility as a collective function through the result of the organizational process and the establishment of social relationships for increased productivity.
Theory of Organizations as Social Systems
Daniel Katz and Robert Kahn presented the "Social Psychology of Organizations" in 1966, due to its consideration of organizations as open systems with the openness to grow and self-reproduce, to keep in constant change. Made up of the so-called subsystems, the dynamics between the organization and the environment is defined by the limits, in turn, within the system the components are defined as inputs and undergo transformation processes in the form of products and services, capable of being fed back by controls to analyze and correct work systems.
The New Theory of Human Relations
With its origin in the 50s and its heyday in the 60s, Thoma J. Peters expressed the need to constantly train workers because they are the driving force of any company that carry out the most complex tasks, in the automation of activities and promote creativity in workers, with safety in the workplace and motivation through profit bonuses and stock plans.
Theory of Contingency
With the joint analysis of the researchers of the 70s made for studies in question of the organizations and the environment in which they operate, the importance of the organizational objectives where the administrator must have the ability to identify the techniques that will help to the achievement of the organization's goals. It is worth mentioning that this theory understands that the organization is a system and that it is linked to humanistic thinking, where situations and their variables, technology and the relationship of the organization with the economic environment are taken into account.
Organizational Development Theory
In the mid-1970s there was also a thought whose core is the relationship that exists between the individual, the organization and the environment; As current times are surrounded by constant changes, this theory justifies that organizations must be flexible and adaptable in their structures and in the organizational environment, so that through planning and control the orderly systematization is maintained. The proposal of the Theory of Organizational Development is to have organizations with efficiency, effectiveness, competitiveness and organizational productivity, it satisfies the need for a senior management leadership with a direction towards the human, the social environment, the culture and the organizational climate.
However, to change the organization it is also necessary to have a change mentality, strategies that allow transforming its culture and the organizational climate, which requires creative and innovative capacity.
The evolution of the Administration in Latin America
Each of the changes within the Administration area has served to ensure that organizations have a better management of their resources, although the evolution of the Administration has not been the same in Latin America, there is a notable lag in time (Wahrlich, 1979); The means by which each of the theories were promulgated was given by:
- Academic path, with respect to the knowledge imparted by universities Administrative movements of governments in the 1930s characterized by administrative modernization projects Technical assistance experts Multinational companies, with the implementation of ideas and technology for competition in the business world.
Conclusions
Man has had the need to manage since remote times, its importance lies in the fact that through it each of the civilizations that today marked societies were consolidated, driven by seeking an organizational model that would allow the use of resources to To reach its end, in constant practice the evolutionary process of the Administration was carried out, each time the design of the characteristics that surrounded society was refined, this giving way to formulating each and every one of the theories that Today they define the Administration, however, the rapidity and constant change of the environment allows the factors to satisfy the demands of the organization to be renewed or adapted by the need to create flexible organizational structures,with a greater demand to recognize the human resource and its relationship with the outside through continuous learning. It is worth mentioning that the starting point of all these theories is the classical-scientific, promoted in a totally industrial era, focused on production, in turn by the discovery of sociological studies is how these new concepts were combined with classical Administration engendered in emphasizing human motivation in the organization. Upon reaching the search to make organizations more flexible, the theory of Organizational Development arrives to give an option in a method that promotes change and thereby challenge environmental and human resources problems.It is worth mentioning that the starting point of all these theories is the classical-scientific, promoted in a totally industrial era, focused on production, in turn by the discovery of sociological studies is how these new concepts were combined with the classical Administration engendered in emphasizing human motivation in the organization. Upon reaching the search to make organizations more flexible, the theory of Organizational Development arrives to give an option in a method that promotes changes and thereby challenge environmental and human resources problems.It is worth mentioning that the starting point of all these theories is the classical-scientific, promoted in a totally industrial era, focused on production, in turn by the discovery of sociological studies is how these new concepts were combined with the classical Administration engendered in emphasizing human motivation in the organization. Upon reaching the search to make organizations more flexible, the theory of Organizational Development arrives to give an option in a method that promotes changes and thereby challenge environmental and human resources problems.in turn, the discovery of sociological studies is how these new concepts generated in emphasizing human motivation in the organization were joined with classical Administration. Upon reaching the search to make organizations more flexible, the theory of Organizational Development arrives to give an option in a method that promotes changes and thereby challenge environmental and human resources problems.in turn, the discovery of sociological studies is how these new concepts generated in emphasizing human motivation in the organization were joined with classical Administration. Upon reaching the search to make organizations more flexible, the theory of Organizational Development arrives to give an option in a method that promotes change and thereby challenge environmental and human resources problems.
In Latin America the scenario has been one of consumerism to studies characterized in the theories of Administration, traditional theories continue to be implemented in organizations, the public organization is the one in charge of transmitting the theories. However, it is very likely that, due to the constant changes in the organizational context, Latin America may implement new administrative techniques.
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