Extension administration: meaning and concept, principles and functions
Extension administration:
In extension administration two things are important. The first is the knowledge
of administration, that can be developed by administrators. Such knowledge will make
the administrators aware of some of the unanticipated consequences of their decisions.
Secondly, the skill and the knowledge possessed by the administrators should be used by
them in solving the problems of the organisation of which they are members. Unless this
is brought in practice it will have no utility for the organisation.
Meaning
Administration can be defined as the guidance, leadership and control of
theefforts of a group of individuals towards some common goal. According to this
definition the essence of administration is the ability of the administrator to plan large
projects, weld together an organisation for its accomplishment, keep the organisation
functioning smoothly and efficiently and achieve the agreed upon objectives well within
the allotment of the personnel, time and resources available, and without doing all the
work himself.
Scope
The scope of administration can be expressed in terms of the functional elements
indicated by the word POSDCORB. This word is made up of initials and indicates the
following activities.
P – stands for planning, i.e., working out in broad outline the things to be done and the
methods to be adopted for accomplishing the purpose in hand.
O – stands for organisation, i.e., building up the structure of authority through which the
entire work to be done is arranged into well defined sub-divisions and coordination.
S – stands for staffing, i.e., appointing suitable persons to the various posts under the
organisation and the whole of personnel management.
D – stands for directing, i.e., making decisions, issuing orders and instructions for the
guidance of the staff.
CO – stands for coordination, i.e., interrelating various parts of the work and eliminating
overlapping and conflict.
R – stands for reporting, i.e., keeping both the superiors and subordinates informed of
what is going on, and arranging for the collection of such information through inspection,
research and records.
B – stands for budgering, which is more concerned with the financial affairs of the
organisation.
These POSDCORB activities are common to all fields of administration and therefore,
are also applicable to the extension administration.
Basic Principle of Administration
It is assumed that increased effectiveness of administration will occur when the
principles of administration are followed. These principles are also called guidelines as
they guide the administrators in the performance of their job.
1) Principle of Hierarchy
The members of the organisation are arranged in a definite subordinate –
superordinate hierarchy of line positions (e.g., classes I,II,III and IV). It is also know as
the ‘scalar process’, wherein lines of positional authority and responsibility run upward
and downward through several levels with a broad base at the bottom and a single head at
the top in order to preserve the ‘unity of command’.
In the effective organisation each worker knows who is his supervisor and each
supervisor knows whom he is expected to supervise. If a worker is subject to orders from
several supervisors (as in the case of village development officer), he gets confused,
inefficient and irresponsible. In this arrangement the authority of making vital decisions
is entrusted with a specialised person located at the helm of the organisation.
2) Principle of Authority
Effective administration will occur when the authority allocated to an individual
or group of individuals is sufficient. The authority and the responsibility should be
clearly defined and understood by all persons in the organisation. The different types of
authorities are given in the following pages.
3) Principle of Responsibility with Matching Authority
The individual should not be burdened only with responsibilities but should also
be provided with matching authority. This is more important in a decentralised form of
administration. Responsibility without authority is just like leaving an individual to fight
with a tiger without a gun or weapon.
4) Principle of Span of Control
Span of control is the number of subordinates one has to supervise. In general,
the span of control is such as to permit as much decentralisation of decision-making as is
needed. It helps in attaining quality decisions. It results in increased effectiveness and
efficiency in attaining the organisational objectives. Some of the factors influencing the
span of control include (a) the intensity and frequency of the need to see the chief, (b) the
magnitude of their problems, (c) the age of the agency, (d) the professional competence
and length of service to the staff, (e) the size of the agency, (f) the size of the geographic
area in which the supervisor must operate, (g) the importance of the decisions which the
supervisor must make, (h) the degree of control that must be exercised, and (I) the degree
of repetitiveness of the work to be done.
5) Principle of Communication
There should be a two-way channel of communication, both vertical and horizontal in
the organisation. Communication ensures common understanding of organisational
values and objectives. Clear and proper assignments of authority and functions are
required for success in large operations. Employees want to know what is going on.
Without a broad sharing of information and purpose, their morale will be low and the
agency’s task will be more difficult.
6) Principle of Organisational Structure
The organisation can no longer remain fixed or static. Changes in basic
objectives, in size of staff, in profesional competency, adjustments in programme
emphasis, in the nature of institutional relationships within which the organisation must
operate will have to be made. Similarly the need for long range as well as short range
planning of programmes, personnel and finances may require many adjustments in the
form of the administrative organisational structure. In short the organisational structure
should be subject to continuous adaptations as conditions warrant.