Five Theories of Public Administration
Dan R. Finley
Helms School of Government, Liberty University
PADM 475 Advanced Public Administration (B01)
Professor Jennifer Holmquist
October 12, 2023
Five Theories of Public Administration
Theory in the social sciences and in public administration means the ordering of factual
material to present evidence through definitions, concepts, and metaphors that promote
understanding of that theory (Fredrickson, et al., 2015). Public administration has fallen under
different theoretical applications since its inception. Some of those theories take into account the
social, motivational, and organizational needs of the public. Others employ a more rigid
analytical or systematic approach to public administration. These five theories cover the various
means that public administrators use to govern.
Scientific Management Theory
One of the earliest public administration theories was introduced by Frederick
Winslow Taylor. He published a work identifying the Scientific Management Theory as a
means to study public administration. The study included work performance through
various working conditions. Taylor's philosophy focused on the belief that making people
work as hard as they could was not as efficient as optimizing the way the work was done
(MindTools, 2023).
The key elements of this approach included studying the most efficient way to work,
matching workers capabilities to a task, and the distribution of work between employees
and managers. This approach led to greater cooperation within the organization. Public
administration uses this approach to select and advance workers into positions of greater
responsibility.
Organizational Theory
The division or work as mentioned in the previous theory should be considered when looking
at the theory of organization. Every large-scale or complicated organization requires people to do
the work. The best results are secured when there is a division of work among those people. The
theory of organization has to do with the coordination of that division. It is essential for the
organization to thrive. It has been coined that the whole is equal to the sum of its parts. This is
true when certain aspects are taken into consideration. The volume of work must be taken into
account to ensure each person gets enough work. Technological advancements in certain ara may
impact the division. The physical capabilities of the workers must be looked at before any
division or work is made.
Luther Gulick introduced his famous mnemonic, POSDCORB, which stands for the seven
major functions of management. These are planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating,
reporting, and budgeting (Shafritz & Hyde, 2018). These seven key elements should be accepted
by all public administration leadership. His theory applied to management’s division but would
be accepted throughout large organizations as a key component of the business model.
Human Motivation Theory
Human needs arrange themselves based on their strongest attribute. The appearance of one
need usually rests on the prior satisfaction of a stronger need (Shafritz & Hyde, 2018). These
various human needs were introduced by Abraham Maslow in his Theory of Human Motivation.
This theory centers on the basic human needs rather than superficial ones. These needs are
usually a starting point for human motivation and connect to the individual.
Maslow’s work on human behavior was the basis for the forward progress of behavior
management theories. He suggested that there are five sets of human goals which may be called
basic needs. These are: (i) physiological; (ii) safety; (iii) love/sense of belonging; (iv) self-
esteem; and (v) self-actualization or self-fulfillment, and they are arranged in order of
importance (Mahawar, 2023). Good leaders should be cognizant of this theory if they desire
to build a motivated team that will be highly productive.
Public Choice Theory
There have been several changes in the way public administration is applied by the people
who were charged with its execution. The Public Choice Theory was one of these changes that
occurred during the time of Ronald Reagan’s presidency. Public Choice Theory challenged two
fundamental and influential theories that had dominated our thinking about the economy and
government (Shafritz & Hyde, 2018). Big government should not overshadow the desires of the
public.
Reagan acknowledged the need to have public input into how the government should handle
crises rather than making the decisions without that input. The public are the consumers of the
administration’s goods and services. Administrators should value the feedback on how these
goods and services are being managed at the executive level. The traditional way of doing things
within the government came into question and President Reagan led the charge to reform it.
Postmodern Theory
The advancement of technology and the way information is transmitted within short period of
time has given public administration a postmodern feel. Information networks that tap into (and
simultaneously update) real-time databases are providing empowered, self-managing work teams
with the information they need to schedule and coordinate their own tasks as well as discipline
their own members (Shafritz, et al., 2017).
The Postmodern Theory posits that organizations have to deal with the way workers interact
in today’s society. Social media and telework now allow people to communicate through
electronic means rather than face to face. This introduces a dilemma of how managers must
handle workers and meeting their needs and ensuring that the work is divided evenly throughout
the organization. All of the previous theories are affected by the Postmodern Theory and leaders
need to make changes to the way they do things.
References
Fredrickson, George H., et al. (2015). The Public Administration Theory Primer 3rd Edition.
New York: Routledge.
Mahawar, M.K. (2023). Evolution Of Management Theories. Madhav University.
https://madhavuniversity.edu.in/evolution-of-management-theories.html, accessed
October 12, 2023.
Shafritz, Jay, et al. (2017). Introducing Public Administration 9th Edition. New York: Routledge.
Shafritz, Jay & Hyde, Albert (2018). Classics of Public Administration. Boston: Cengage
Learning.
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