ALL ABOUT ADMINISTRATION

The word "administration" is from the Middle English administracioun. The word has particular
meanings in particular contexts, but all retain this sense of service provision. In business,
administration consists of the performance or management of transactions and other matters,
and the making and implementing of major decisions. Administrator can serve as the title of
the General Manager or Company Secretary who reports to a corporate board of directors.
This use is archaic.
Administration can be defined as the universal process of efficiently organizing people and
resources so to direct activities toward common goals and objectives. Administration is both
an art and a science (if an inexact one), and arguably a craft, as administrators are judged
ultimately by their performance. Administration must incorporate both leadership and vision.
Management is viewed as a subset of administration, specifically associated with the technical
and mundane elements within an organization's operation. It stands distinct from executive or
strategic work. Administration reflects management models. Such models become popular,
peak in influence, and are then superseded by other emerging models. Recently influential
management models have included Management by objectives (MBO) and Total Quality
Management (TQM). Each model continues to have its proponents. In some organizational
analyses, administration can refer to the bureaucratic or operational performance of mundane
office tasks, usually internally oriented.
Administrators, broadly speaking, engage in a common set of functions to meet the
organization's goals. The idea of a set of, 4) directing, and 5) controlling:
* Planning is deciding in advance what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and who should do
it. It bridges the gap from where the organization is to where it wants to be. The planning
function involves establishing goals and arranging them in logical order. Administrators engage
in both short-range and long-range planning. Planning has both symbolic and functional value.
The resulting plan provides standing information to members/employees of the organization,
and it convinces stake holders to buy into the organization's goals.
* Organizing involves identifying responsibilities to be performed, grouping responsibilities into
departments or divisions, and specifying organizational relationships. The purpose is to
achieve coordinated effort among all the elements in the organization. Organizing must take
into account delegation of authority and responsibility and span of control within supervisory
units.
* Staffing means filling job positions with the right people at the right time. It involves
determining staffing needs, writing job descriptions, recruiting and screening people to fill the
positions.
Directing is leading people (see Leadership) in a manner that achieves the goals of the
organization. This involves proper allocation of resources and providing an effective support
system. Directing requires exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to motivate people.
One of the crucial issues in directing is to find the correct balance between emphasis on staff
needs and emphasis on production.
* Controlling is the function that evaluates quality in all areas and detects potential or actual
deviations from the organization's plan. This function's purpose is to ensure high-quality
performance and satisfactory results while maintaining an orderly and problem-free
environment. Controlling includes information management, measurment of performance, and
institution of corrective actions.
* Budgeting, excepted from the above list, incorporates most of the administrative functions,
beginning with the implementation of a budget plan through the application of budget
controls.