Chapter 3

Administrative Structure
A Comparative Perspective
 Introduction
• Administrative structure is not something that
you can physically feel about it. It is not even
the layout of offices.
• administrative structure, we mean the tasks for
which people are assigned, to whom they
report, with whom they work and interact in
order to get their job done.
• According to Luther Gullick, there are four
major aspects of organising administrative
work.
 1. The purpose;
Cont….
• Administrative organisation based on 'purpose' principle
brings together those who are at work endeavoring to render
particular service.
• Usually federal governments quite often opt for purpose-
based administrative organisation.
• In the UK and in India, functional or purpose division of
work is very common.
• Purpose principle is recognised in Soviet Union by vertically
organised branches
• In France also the administrative departments are created on
the basis of purpose.
 2. The process;
• In this base of administrative organisation it can
bring together in a single department all of those
who are at work making use of a given skill or are
members of a given profession
• It is noted for its professionalism.
• No department in British government is generally
organised on the process principle.
• In India, process principle is used for many
functions of the government such as the department.
• government level in France
 Cont…..
• Specialised organisations under US
presidential control are on the increase these
days like the Economic Council, National
Housing and Education, etc.4
 3. The persons
• Organisation is based on either persons or things
with which the organisation deals.
• It is exclusively responsible for some section of the
population.
• American examples are the Bureau of Indian
Affairs
• In UK, there are few administrative organisations
based on this principle.
• In India, the Department of Rehabilitation at the
centre and the Department of Tribal Welfare
• In France Ministry of Repatriation which was
 4. The place.
• Government organisation extended its service
towards the length and breadth of a country.
• Almost every modern governments whether
parliament or presidential, democratic or non-
democratic, larger or smaller have followed
area principle.
 Cont…
• in modern governmental organizations, the
characteristic features of all the four bases are there and
therefore it can be rightly called a 'Hybrid
Organisation.
• Simon was particularly critical of these four bases and
referred to it as "four proverbs" of classical theory of
public administration.
• The chief executive of the country occupies the apex of
the pyramid-shaped administrative structure.
• The chief executive of a country is helped by three
important agencies such as Line, Staff and Auxiliary.
 Line Agency
• In modern public organisation, the major
functions of the line include:
1. provision of points, of reference for decisions
within the organizational structure,
2. establishing official and authentic lines of
communication, and
3. the creation of means of control
 Staff agency
• includes all elements of an organisation not
classified as line.
• Staff assist, advise, investigate, recommend,
solve specific problems, provide ideas
 Auxiliary Agency
• They perform certain incidental functions which are
common to various administrative departments.
• Both staff and auxiliary agencies are helping the line.
• in modern democratic governments the staff function
is to assist the chief executive, and the line agency
who work under chief executive,
• For example, an auxiliary agency extends the
services like stationary, recruiting personnel,
accounting, purchase, supply, storage, etcP According
to Willoughby auxiliary agencies are mainly
concerned with housekeeping activities.
 Cont…
• Certain executives, sometimes ignore the advisory role
of the staff and will have personalised advisers
• Broadly, line agencies in government are represented
by departments, public corporations and commissions.
• In the USA, it is the congress (parliament) which
regulates the formation and dissolution of departments.
• the British Executive does not face such problems as in
the USA as well as India
• the USSR there was constitutionail sanction behind the
ministries which could be abolished only after an
amendment to the constitution.
 Cont…
• Generally In USA , the USSR and France there
has been a tendency to fix the number of
departments while the number is not fixed in
the UK and India.
• The structure of departmental organisation in
France is complex in nature. Regarding the
hierarchical ladder, it is not as rigid as that of
the USA, the UK and India.