Comparative Public Administration
February 12, 2025
The CAS committee on Enterprise risk management has given the following definition of the same – ‘The discipline by which any organization in any industry assesses, controls, exploits, finances and monitors risk from all the sources for the purpose of increasing organizations short-term and long-term value to its stakeholders’. In simpler terms enterprise risk management […]
Workplace ethics ensures employees are treated with utmost respect. It also leads to a sense of satisfaction among employees and they develop a feeling of attachment towards their respective organizations. The feeling of loyalty is a feeling which is seen in very few individuals. For them, going to work is the best source of earning […]
Virtual team is an emerging new-age trend with followers across business sectors. Just like any other new trend, virtual team also has to undergo strict scrutiny of researchers to weigh its advantages and disadvantages before being accepted by the professionals. The advantages and disadvantages of virtual teams can be looked upon from three levels – […]
Market risk and volatility are two terms that are heard a lot by many risk management professionals. To the layman, the terms may sound like synonyms. This means that the average person tends to think that volatility and risk mean the same thing. However, this is not true. The terms are related and have a […]
The All Pervasive Technology and the Inevitability of Technology Driven Decision Making Technology is all around us. Wherever we look and whatever we search for, chances are that we cannot escape the overarching and overweening presence of tech in our careers and personal lives. Indeed, technology has become so pervasive that it is impossible for […]
The line agency in its traditional form exists as departments. Departments are the fundamental unit of administrative organizations and carries out all the functions. There are different shortcoming and problems associated with this structure as well but before we dwell into that, we shall make an attempt to understand the basic principles on which the organization of departments is based.
The organization of departments is based on four principles:
The above mentioned principles are not the sole criteria for the basis of organizations, aspects like traditions and history also play a role. Generally, the governments look at a combination of one or more principles and considerations to base the departments on. The most relevant however has been the functional principle or the Scientific Principle of Organization. With increase in specialization of functions, it only makes sense to have organizations based on them. Let us read about some of the features of this principle:
The departments are further divided into divisions which is the vertical division based on the broader functions to be performed by the department. The horizontal division is done for other specific activities to be carried out under that division.
The horizontal method of dividing the work within the organization is preferred in comparison to the vertical segregation. The arguments given for the same are:
The departments are generally divided into two divisions (there may be more), the division of Primary Activities and the Division of Secondary or Institutional Activities about which we read earlier.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *