Course Title: SW 338 –Social Welfare Agency Administration

Week 1

Section 1: Why we need Administration

 Administration
o It is an important area in organized activity. It has been considered a
process, a method, or a set of relationships between and among people
working toward common objectives in an organization.
o It is necessary to orchestrate the myriad activities of the organization.
o It is a process of defining and attaining the objectives of the organization
through a system of coordination and cooperative effort. –Herman Stein
o A continuous process that leads to organizational growth and
development.
o It is therefore, a phenomenon occurring in government, schools, business
firms, labor unions, hospitals, and any organized goal seeking group of
persons.

 Activities of Administration as a method of practice:

o Determination of goals and setting of objectives
o Formulation of policies
o Maintenance of an organization
o Formulation of plans
o Securing resources
o Selection of technologies necessary for operations
o Design of programs and services
o Optimization of organizational behaviour
o Evaluation of results for the improvement of services and
o Accounting resource utilization

 Characteristics of Administration
o Administration is a human enterprise that involves the activity of people in
the organization.
o It is a continuous, dynamic process for a common purpose or goal that is
pursued through an uninterrupted continuing interactive activity between
and among people in vertical and horizontal positions in the organization.
o Resources of people and materials are harnessed and coordinated.
o Leadership is implicit in administration.
 Ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and enable others to
contribute toward the effectiveness and success of organization.
 Coordination, cooperation and participation are the means for
achieving the organizational goals.

 Elements of Administration
 o Organization – setting up of the framework or structure of the different
units of the system to carry out or perform distinct tasks for the attainment
of the goals of administration.

o Management – is the activity that allocates and utilizes resources to

achieve the goals of the organization. It is a scientific utilization of
manpower, money, machines, materials, methods, time, space, and other
resources for the attainment of organizational goals.

 Social administration – it focuses on the policies, planning and administration of

goods and services in relation to the political, social and economic institutions and
to the determinants of the distribution of national resources to social welfare
needs.

 Social Welfare administration –it refers to more specifically to the administrative

processes in social welfare agency, the formulation of tis policies and plans, and
their implementation into programs and services for specific client groups. It is
also referred to as social agency administration.

o Major objective is the enhancement of social functioning.