Administration History (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain everything about the history of administration, its origin and evolution. Also, the importance of administration today.

What is the history of administration?

Administration is a process that, through various functions, allows planning and organizing the resources and activities of private or public organizations. The history of contemporary administration is recent and arose from the 20th century as a consequence of the period of the Industrial Revolution that took place between the 18th and 19th centuries.

However, the concept of administration as a discipline has been present in the oldest civilizations of humanity. This is the case of the Sumerians, who had large palaces that functioned as administrative centers in which they centralized and distributed food and utensils to the rest of the population through barter.

Origin of the administration

The ability to manage is inherent to human beings and arises from the need to make decisions, coordinate and execute various tasks individually. When human beings began to live in community, they developed the ability to coordinate more complex activities that allowed them to achieve greater political, economic and social development.

Ancient civilizations show administrative activities from the engineering applied to the construction of the temples to the commercial deployment. Such is the case of Roman feudalism, which implied a contract between the elite (who granted land or income) and the vassals (who had to give in exchange their obligated loyalty and provide certain services).

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The military organization provided certain guidelines for the development of later administrative theories. For example, designating a command unit that delegates part of the power to those in charge who, in turn, are in charge of the rest of the subordinates.

As military operations increased, the number of those responsible with groups of subordinates in charge grew.

Management evolution

Max Maximilian Weber history of administration — Max Weber proposed a centralized procedure in a hierarchy.

The administrative process is a universal activity of the modern world: every organization must coordinate its tasks to meet its objectives. The Industrial Revolution played a key role in the formal development of this discipline administrative.

Mass production generated a new factory system, which replaced artisan workshops: an entrepreneur with means of production, buys labor power and coordinates tasks so that the organization is efficient. From this productive process, theories emerged to improve methods, time and resources.

The theories of administrative management allow establishing an order to control and coordinate the actions and the different roles played in an organization. In this way, the organization can prevent problems, adapt to changes and meet its objectives. Some of the main administrative theories are:

Scientific theory (United States, 1903) Frederick Winslow Taylor proposed optimizing the worker's work to achieve greater efficiency in industrial production. This theory maintains that by planning scientific procedures, each employee can increase his or her productive capacity without leaving room for personal judgment or improvisation.
The theory of bureaucracy (Germany, 1905) Max Weber proposed a centralized procedure in a hierarchy, with division of responsibilities and specialization in work. According to this theory, control depends on the bureaucratic order whose rules must be respected by the boss and the rest of the members.
The classical theory (France, 1916) Henry Fayol proposed a comprehensive systematic approach to the entire organization, in which all its components must be controlled and coordinated. This theory focuses on the performance of hierarchical management so that it develops all administrative functions and delegates responsibilities to the rest of the employees.
Humanistic theory (United States, 1932) Elton Mayo proposed a new business philosophy to counteract the rigorous scientific methods that dehumanized the worker. This theory understands the needs of the individual within the organization and highlights the importance of self-improvement. Good interpersonal relationships contribute to greater efficiency in the production process.
The theory of behavior (United States, 1950). Abraham Maslow proposed a theory, called “Maslow's pyramid,” to explain the needs that drive human behavior. This theory continues to be used today, and recognizes five types of needs in order of most to least importance: physiological, security, social, recognition and self-actualization.
Contingency theory (United States, 1980) William Dill, William Starbuck, James Thompson, Paul Lawrence, Jay Lorsch, and Tom Burns proposed the organization as an open system. They maintained that the relationship between environmental conditions and the organization's administrative techniques must be considered together, in order to adapt the organizational structure to various unforeseen events. According to this theory, the correct functioning of the organization depends on the interaction with the environment.

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Importance of administration

Administration as a discipline provides tools and knowledge so that the coordinated effort of all the resources that make up an organization (material and human) work efficiently towards the same objectives.

Furthermore, the administration allows the organization to anticipate or be prepared for situations of change or external crisis that may impact their performance, with the aim of remaining in business.