RUTH B. ASCUNA

Practicum in Educational

Administration

SOCIAL SCIENCE APPROACH

AND

CONTINGENCY APPROACH

SOCIAL SCIENCE APPROACH

Used both perspective and added

propositions drawn from psychology,

sociology, political science, and

economics.

The approach differs from other social

sciences only in subject matter: work

behavior in formal organization

(Simon, 1968)

Herbert Simon (1947), in his

Administrative Behavior used the

concept of organizational equilibrium

as a focal point for a formal theory of

work motivation.

The organization was seen as an exchange system in which inducements are exchanged for work. Employees remain in the organization as long as they perceive the inducements as larger than their work contributions.

By integrating economics, psychology, and sociology, the inducements-contributions schema illustrates the interdisciplinary nature of the theory.

Simon saw administration as a

process of rational decision making

that influenced the behavior of

members of the organization.

Scientifically describe that each

person in the organization what

decisions that person makes and the

influence to which he is subject in

making each of these decisions.

According to Chester I. Barnard

(1938) one of the first to apply a

social science approach with his

analysis of organizational life in

Functions of the Executive.

Barnard provided the original

definitions of formal and informal

organizations and cogently

demonstrated the inevitable

interaction between them.

Social Science is the study of

intercultural communication, based on

the assumption that :

(1) there is a describable, external

reality

(2) human behaviors are predictable

(3) culture is a variable that can be

measured.

This approach aims to identify and

explain cultural variations in

communication and to predict future

communication.

Advantages of Social Science

Approach

1. Increased challenges from

practitioners, professors, and the

public who demand relevance and

utility in theory and research.

2. Balances recognition of both formal

and informal organizations.

3. A synthesis of the preceding two,

using modern social science

methods in its analyses.

Disadvantage of Social Science

Approach

1. One danger of applying theoretical

knowledge from social science is the

tendency to over generalize it to all

situations.

CONTINGENCY APPROACH

Also known as Situational Approach

Is a concept in management starting that there is no one universally applicable set of management principles (rules) by which to manage organizations, organizations are individually different, face different situations and require different ways of managing.

Stresses that the correctness of a managerial practice is contingent on how it fits the particular situation.

Fiedler identified three dimensions of

the situation in leader’s effectiveness:

◦ 1. Leader-Member Relations

- refer to the degree of the

followers’ trust and respect for the

leader.

2. Task Structure

- is the extent to which the

followers’ tasks are structured-that is,

routine and repetitive work versus

unstructured work.

3. Position power

- refers to the power and influence

of the leader.

Characteristics of Contingency

Approach

The contingency approach is based

on three characteristics they are:

(1) An open system perspective

(2) A research orientation

(3) A multivariable approach

(1) An open system perspective

Organizations are not stable and

easily defined, but are shaped and are

porous to their environments.

Environments shape, support, and

infiltrate organizations.

Participants do not necessarily hold

common goals or even routinely seek

the survival of the organization.

(2) A research orientation

Searching for more systematic

ways, information, ideas, strategies and

skills in dealing with members of an

organization and establishing an

effective at stable organization.

(3) A multivariable approach

There are three variables involved in

multivariable approach these are the

contingency variables, response

variables and performance variables.

1. Contingency variables

- represent situational

characteristics usually exogenous to the

focal organization or manager. In most

instances, the opportunity to control or

manipulate

these variables is, at best, limited and

indirect.

2. Response variables

- are the organizational or managerial actions taken in response to current or anticipated contingency factors.

3. Performance variables

- are the dependent measures and represent specific aspects of

effectiveness that are appropriate to evaluate the fit between contingency variables and response variables for the situation under consideration.

Advantages of Contingency

Approach

Contingency approach is pragmatic

and open minded. It discounts

preconceived notions, and universal

validity of principles.

It provides freedom/choice to manage

to judge the external environment and

use the most suitable management

techniques.

Here, importance is given to the

judgment of the situation and not the

use of specific principles.

The contingency approach has a

wide-ranging applicability and practical

utility in, organization and

management.

It advocates comparative analysis of

organizations to bring suitable

adjustment between organization

structure and situational peculiarities.

The contingency approach enables

management to change employee

roles to meet the individual needs of a

given project quickly.

Disadvantage of Contingency

Approach

It is argued that the contingency

approach lacks a theoretical base.

Under contingency approach, a

manager is supposed to think through

all possible alternatives as he has no

dried principles to act upon.

The responsibility of a manager

increases as he has to analyze the

situation, examine the validity of

different principles and techniques to

the situation at hand, make right

choice by matching the technique to

the situation and finally execute his

choice.

The contingency approach is also a

reactive model of business

management.

Conclusion

The basic theme of contingency

approach is that organizations have to

deal with different situations in different

ways. There is no single best way of

managing applicable to all situations.

The convention definition of management is

getting work done through people, but real

management is developing people through work.

Agha Hasan Abedi