Administrative Address (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what administrative management is, what its stages and classification are. Also, its principles and why it is important.

What is administrative management?

In business administration, it is known as management (or directly as administrative management), one of the most important stages of the administrative process in which the knowledge acquired is applied to make relevant decisions. In simpler terms, administrative direction is equivalent to captaining a ship.

The administrative direction It is a complicated and highly responsible job which is generally carried out by managers and other leadership and authority figures within organizations, and whose objective is to ensure that the objectives set in advance are met, which means dealing with unforeseen events, correcting the functioning of the organization on the fly and often make strategic decisions.

For this reason, the address is closely related to control and feedback within the administrative process: only by managing the necessary information arising from the evaluation of the functioning of an organization, informed and sensible decisions can be made that have a greater probability of success. That is why business leadership is not too different from the political leadership of a nation, although both handle very different elements and have different principles.

Stages of administrative management

Broadly speaking, we can outline the stages of administrative management as:

Decision making In the event of some type of unforeseen event, challenging situation or evaluation of the organization, the need for efficient decision-making is imposed, which in turn goes through certain stages:
- Define the problem That is, understanding the situation, the challenges that have arisen and/or the objectives that are pursued and that will provide us with initial guidance on how to address the problem.
- Evaluate the alternatives Every problem can be approached from different points of view and can be resolved or faced in different ways, more aggressive, more patient, more sagacious, etc. Before deciding on one, you should review all the options.
- Make a decision Finally we will have to opt for some option and apply it specifically, taking into account a panorama of possible consequences and some type of advance forecasts.
Integration This stage involves the provision of the elements and resources necessary to execute the previously made decision, also through various strategies, such as:
- Recruitment Enlargement or replacement of human capital with the necessary personnel to carry out the tasks entailed by the decision.
- Training Provide existing personnel with the theoretical, conceptual or practical tools to be able to carry out the tasks that the decision entails.
- Renewal Acquisition of new materials, new equipment, new tools, etc., to be able to carry out the decision.
Motivation Entrepreneurial spirit and team morale are also essential to achieve the objectives and materialize the decided plan, so management must carry out a review of the organization's motivational dynamics and employ new ones, reinforce existing ones or eliminate counterproductive ones.
Communication Closely related to motivation, communication both internally and externally must always be in accordance with the initial decisions that were made, so that each segment of the organization is clear about what is expected of it and that each client knows. What changes to expect from the organization.
Leadership and supervision Not only must decisions be made and ensure that they are implemented correctly, but a feedback and control channel must be kept open that allows the effectiveness of the changes introduced to be perceived, that identifies complications, that perceives threats and opportunities derived from the change, in Finally, it provides management with the necessary information to be able to make decisions again and thus keep the circuit moving.

Types of administrative address

There are various forms, types or styles of administrative management, which have directly to do with the type of leadership exercised, and which should be considered guidelines, rather than defined and concrete categories. We talk about:

Autocratic leadership The one in which the authority imposes its rules, criteria and decisions without consulting its subordinates at all, which is why it usually generates tense and dictatorial work environments, in which discipline and insecurity can go hand in hand.
Paternalistic management This is a flexibilization of autocratic management, in which hierarchical positions become involved in the work of their subordinates and even in their personal lives, but always from a position of power and authority, as if they were a kind of guardian. It is usually applied to organizations with very young or training personnel.
Laissez-faire direction (“let things be done”) A management model that intervenes very little in the performance of its subordinates, allowing them a very high degree of autonomy and decision, which can make them employees with high initiative, or can lead to confusion and disorder.
Democratic leadership It is inspired by the principles of equal opportunities and mass consultation to make decisions, without sacrificing the hierarchical structure of the organization. It is usually the one that yields the best results in a diverse or large organization.

Principles of administrative management

The exercise of management is based on a series of fundamental principles, which are:

Coordination of interests Given that an organization involves an organized group of human beings working around a common objective, management must ensure that the focus remains on the latter, converging individual or sectoral objectives into a common macroproject.
Impersonality of command Organizations have structures and hierarchies that should not depend on who exercises them, but rather should be impersonal, objective, that is, they do not depend on sympathies and considerations, but on the internal logic of the organization.
Direct and indirect supervision Management can be exercised, at the same time, in close communication with subordinates, that is, providing them with the guidelines and information they require to be motivated and productive; and in hierarchical communication, through a hierarchical or bureaucratic structure that allows the efficient use of information and timely decision-making, without absolutely everything having to reach management to be approved.
Exploitation and resolution of conflicts The management of every organization will face conflictive situations that it must be able to solve or, better yet, that must be converted into advantageous or profitable situations, through management of change and variability, instead of excessive attachment to the norm. .

You may be interested: Economic Globalization

Importance of administrative direction

The address It is vital for the correct administrative functioning. It is responsible for executing the guidelines projected in previous phases (planning and organization) to obtain the best possible performance from the organizational structure.

A good address is key not only in business forecasting and anticipation, but in the motivation of human capital through efficient communication, sensible leadership and a spirit away from tyranny and other human defects.

Good administrative management, in fact, understands the administrative process as an organized and hierarchical whole, and is capable of carrying out the appropriate changes that make it last or bring it closer to achieving its specific objectives. Any administrative process without direction is prone to disorder and disintegration.

Control in administration

As well as management, administrative control It is a function of the administrative process that consists of performance evaluation that is, in the comparison of the results obtained during the process and the expectations that were had. This involves the measurement (and the design or selection of measurement strategies) of the variables, the collection of relevant information, internal and external research, among other similar methodologies.

Continue in: Control in administration