1. Organizational Dynamics
Denhardt Chp. 8

2. Functions of management
Early emphasis on structure
Efficiency most important criterion
POSDCORB (Giulick): Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating, Budgeting
Scientific management (Taylor): Concentration on the work process
Time and motion studies to make the work process more efficient - “science of shoveling”
Single center of power / top-down hierarchical control
Agency head is accountable to elected officials
Similar to how a CEO is responsible to a Board of Directors

3. Hierarchical structure
Task specialization - sets division of labor
Vertical: boss/subordinate
Horizontal: peer
Unity of command (everyone has a single superior)
Limited span of control (number of persons reporting to a single individual)
Vertical and horizontal divisions of labor

4. Max Weber and bureaucracies
Applies to large organizations - public or private
Hierarchy of offices
Selections based on technical qualifications
Strict discipline and control
Distinction between line and staff
Classification of managers
Supervisors/first-line managers
Middle managers
Top managers/executives

5. Post-Weber management thought
Emerging emphases on democratic values and human behavior
Is efficiency the most important value for a public agency?
Is the authoritarian/top-down model compatible with democratic principles?
Can rigid, bureaucratic structures even be effective? Can they adapt to change?
Does “scientific management” reduce people to “machines”? Do bureaucratic practices conflict with human development?

6. Simon - “bounded rationality” - human beings seek the best possible solution, not necessarily the most economically sound solution
Argyris - individual development and growth can be stifled by bureaucratic imperatives
people are expected to react positively to strict control - to be passive and submissive
human striving for self-actualization can be interpreted as threatening and dysfunctional

7. A new approach - organizations as open systems
Systems theory: input, process, output
Organizations are shaped by the outside world
Best way to understand how organizations work is to analyze their external influencers – their “environment”
Public
Interest groups
Politics and economics (political economy approach) - focus on programs rather than agencies

8. A new concern - organizational culture
Attitudes, beliefs and values that shape an organization
Rejects a preoccupation with “efficiency” and “control”
Emphasizes service and quality
Fosters autonomy/entrepreneurship
Achieves productivity through motivated employees who agree on an organization’s core values Illinois Head Start

9. Organization development (O.D.)
A process for planning and implementing change
Management accessibility
Open communication
Willingness to experiment
Emphasizes collaboration (not just authority)
Sense of community and shared responsibility
Authentic personal relationships / interdependence
Association promoting OD