Educ.

604: Policy Analysis & Decision Making

Submitted by: Cabaňero, Anna Liza V.

CTU Id Number: 1314123

Program/Course: MAED-AS

Professor:Dr. PEDRITO S. OCBA JR/ Dr. RICKY S. YABO, Ed.D.

Discuss the following:

1. administrative law
2. administrative decision makers
3. administrative decision & its examples
Answer the following:
1. Where does the authority to make the decision come from?
2. Does legislation provide you any preference in making your decision?
3. Are you empowered to make the decision?
4. Have you acted reasonably in making your decision?

Definition of Administrative Law – Administrative law manages with

the legal control of the government and related administrative powers.
In other terms, we can define administrative law as the body of rules
and regulations and orders and decisions created by administrative
agencies of government.
Administrative law is part of the division of law commonly referred to
as public law, the law which regulates the relationship between the
citizen and the state and which involves the exercise of state power.
So, it is a part of the legal framework for public administration. Public
administration is the day-to-day implementation of public policy and
public programs in areas as diverse as immigration, social welfare,
defense, and economic regulation—indeed in all areas of social and
economic life in which public programs operate.
Administrative law consists of grievance respecting government action
that adversely affects an individual. Thus, administrative law involves
determining the legitimacy of government actions. There is a two-fold
analysis: the legality of the specific law itself and the legitimacy of
particular acts purportedly authorized by the specific law.
Governments cannot perform any act by itself. Governments act
through government officials who must take action within certain
limitations. A government’s power to act comes from the legislation.

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 Thus, government officials must take action within the parameters (or
scope) of such legislation which give their actions lawful authority.
These are lawful actions. If government officials take action outside
the scope of their legal authority and individuals are affected by these
acts, then the principles of administrative law provide individuals with
the ability to seek judicial review of the administrative action and
viable remedies for the wrongful acts.

Characterization of Powers and Sub-Delegation of Powers –

Characterization of the function of the legislative powers enables the
determination of the scope of these powers and the duties they grant,
and the procedures the delegate is required to follow to lawfully
exercise these powers. In turn, this determines the available remedies
in court if the impugned act is found to be unlawful.
Powers can be characterized as:-
• Legislative
• Judicial (or quasi-judicial) or
• Administrative (or executive)
If the delegated power is legislative or judicial in nature, the general
rule in administrative law is that such powers must be exercised by
the exclusive person identified in the legislation. Such a person
(government official) is prohibited from sub-delegating these powers
and duties to another person. By contrast, powers distinguished as
administrative can be sub-delegated.
Characterization of Duties and Discretionary Powers – Another
main principle of administrative law distinguishes between delegated
powers that are duties that the delegate must perform and delegated
powers that are discretionary in nature. Some powers are mainly set
out in the legislation

Yes, in our everyday life we always make a decision wither it is big

our small in work, for ourselves or for our family. There are decisions
that are big and needs more thinking before we decide we way things
according to what the other person may feel or how the society will react
so we way things according to our moral values in life.

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The Administrative Model
In the foundation of the administrative model of decision making lies the
belief that decision makers often settle for a less than ideal solution because of
time and motivation shortages. Instead of seeking the best solution that
maximizes the value of the decision, the decision maker accepts the first
available 'good enough' alternative producing a value above the minimally
acceptable. The concept of settling for a less than perfect solution is
called satisficing.
Because of the limited rationality of the decision maker, the model is also
known as the bounded rationality model. The limited rationality entails that
the decision maker has a limited number of criteria and considers a limited
number of alternatives. The degree to which the choice will be limited will
depend upon the values and skills of the decision maker. This model is based

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on ideas first expressed by Herbert Simon. He called the decision maker with
limited rationality an Administrative Man and opposed him to a
perfect Economic Man, who is takes into consideration all possible criteria
and evaluates all possible alternatives.
In our busy everyday lives, we often employ such approaches without thinking
twice. Imagine yourself sitting in the office on a weekday afternoon and
suddenly realizing you have to attend a birthday party later the same day. Had
you remembered about the party earlier, you might have spent the whole
Sunday browsing the shops in search of a perfect gift. Now, your options are
very limited. You have only one shop next to your office and quickly browse the
shelves on your way to the party, settling for the first gift that remotely
matches your friend's interest. Will it be the best gift your friend will receive
that day? Unlikely. Did you save yourself from the embarrassment of showing
up empty-handed? Definitely.
The main drawback of this approach is, of course, a lowered quality of the final
decision. However, this model also has a number of benefits. Under certain
circumstances, these can well compensate for the loss in quality. First, this
approach requires less time to reach a decision. In a situation where time is
costly or unavailable, settling for a 'good enough' option can be an efficient
strategy. Secondly, reaching for an ideal solution often means more resources
have to be dedicated for information gathering. So a solution reached with the
administrative model in mind is likely to be cheaper.

Classical Approach to Decision Making

Classical approach is also known as prescriptive, rational or normative model.

It specifies how decision should be made to achieve the desired outcome.
Under classical approach, decisions are made rationally and directed toward a
single and stable goal. It is applied in certainty condition which the decision
maker has full information relating to the problem and also knows all the
alternative solutions. It is an ideal way in making decision. It is rational in the
sense that it is scientific, systematic and step-by-step process.

There are four main assumptions behind the classical model:

 First is a clearly defined problem. The model assumes that the decision-
maker has clearly set goals and knows what is expected from him.
 Next is a certain environment. The model further suggests that it is in
the power of the decision-maker to eliminate any uncertainty that might
impact the decision. As a result, there are no risks to account for.
 he third assumption is full information. The decision-maker is able to
identify all alternatives available to him and to evaluate and rank them
objectively.

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  The final assumption is rational decisions. The decision-maker is
believed to always be acting in the best interests of the organization.

This model assumes the manager as a rational economic man who makes
decisions to meet the economic interest of the organization. Classical approach
is based on the following assumptions:

 The decision maker has clear and well-defined goal to be achieved.

 All the problems are precisely defined.
 All alternative courses of action and their potential consequences are
known.
 The decision maker can rank the entire alternatives on the basis of their
preferred consequences.
 The decision maker can select the alternative that maximizes outcome.

 The classical model is supposed to be idealistic and rational but it is

rarely found in practice. Therefore, this approach has many criticisms. It
is known by normative theory rather than descriptive theory. Generally,
managers operate under the condition of risk and uncertainty rather
than the certainty condition. in many situations, complete goal stability
can never be realized due to continuous environmental changes. It is
applied only in the close system and not practicable in real life situations
where environment is changing rapidly.

Steps in the Classical Model

 The classical model proposes three main steps for decision-making:

 First is listing all available alternatives. Under the classical model, the
decision-maker is not limited by time or resources and can continue
looking for alternatives until he identifies the one that maximizes the
utility from the decision.

 The second step is ranking listed alternatives. The decision-maker is

believed to possess not only all required information but also the
cognitive ability to prioritize the alternatives accurately and objectively.

 The last step of the classical model is selecting the best-suited

alternative.

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Answer the following:
 Two employees are having regular conflicts with each other and
often disturb the team’s balance. How would you handle this
situation?
 Do you usually make better decisions alone or with a group? Why?
When do you ask for help?
 How would you deal with a demanding external stakeholder who
keeps changing requirements about a specific project you’re working
on?
Answers:

 1st before everything happen the company or the office should have an
Open Door Policy where the employees are open to communicate their
grievances or concers to their supervisor/mangers. This policy should
encourage employees to come to management about any matter of
importance without fear of repercussion. It involves active listening,
asking questions, and utilizing teamwork. With this in place, employees

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 will be more likely to reach out when there’s an issue, which can help to
prevent conflicts or keep them from escalating further.

2nd If there is already conflict between employees. Determine the Severity of

the Situation When resolving workplace conflict, it’s important to understand
the nature and root cause of the conflict. Is it a matter of miscommunication,
misinterpreted details, mismatched personalities, or competition among
employees? Or is it something more serious like harassment or discrimination?
If it’s the latter, that’s an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
issue, and your company should already have policies and procedures in place
to address it. If not, that should be an immediate priority.
Workplace conflict can happen for any number of reasons, and honestly
conflict is inevitable. It’s important to get to the root of the issue and determine
the level of severity so you can decide how best to address it and prevent it
from becoming an ongoing problem.
3rd Encourage Employees to Work Out Issues On Their Own It can be
tempting to step in whenever there’s office drama to resolve conflict, but there
will be instances when it’s best to let employees work out conflicts on their
own. After all, the last thing you want is to feel like you’re micromanaging every
office squabble. Letting them work together to resolve conflict can help
everyone involved.
When you see employees engaging in things like friendly disagreements or light
political banter, remember to observe and assess. If the disagreements don’t
escalate, these situations can be opportunities for employees to find common
ground or engage in constructive conversations. Sometimes stepping in too
early can cause the situation to escalate because employees may have
considered it a nonissue. However, if you think the conflict might escalate or
rise to the level of making anyone uncomfortable, it’s time to take action.
4th Take Action When Necessary

As mentioned, some workplace conflict can (and should) be solved between the
employees involved. Disputes are bound to happen, but it’s your job to observe
and decide whether you should take action.
So when is the right time to step in? For me the following are the right
situation when to come in.

 If friendly banter escalates to bullying

 When language becomes explicit, threatening, or aggressive
 If there are allegations of discrimination or harassment
 When conflict disrupts team productivity or threatens team morale
 If a teasing conversation becomes insulting or disrespectful

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Of course, you should always look into any staff complaints that are brought to
your attention. Make sure your employees feel seen and heard, no matter the
severity of the situation.
5th Listen to All Parties Involved

It’s important to let everyone involved in the conflict present their side of the
story without interruption. Your role is to actively listen, remain neutral, and
focus on each person’s account. The goal here is for employees to truly listen to
one another so they’ll have a deeper understanding of where the opposing side
is coming from. Oftentimes, employees will be more inclined to come to a
peaceful resolution once they feel acknowledged and heard. You can keep other
employees updated on situations when you work to listen carefully as you
resolve conflict.
6th Document the Incident

When you’re dealing with workplace conflict, you want to make sure you keep
track of all conversations, disciplinary meetings, etc. Be sure to include the
facts from any employee-related incident, as well as the resolution each party
agreed to. This will help you monitor behavior over time and identify employees
who could be toxic to your work environment. It’s also important to record
incidents in case any employee should try to take you to court.
7th Get Insight from your Employee Handbook

Although it might seem like common sense, your employee handbook should
be the first point of reference when dealing with office conflict. This handbook
should serve as a guide to help you navigate disputes and what disciplinary
steps to take, if needed. The policies within your handbook need to set clear
standards as to what qualifies as unacceptable workplace behavior. They
should leave little room for interpretation to ensure there’s zero confusion as to
what’s expected.
As a leader in your organization, it’s critical that your employees are aware of
company policies and understand that they’re accountable for their actions
and held to the same standards as everyone on the team, regardless of their
title or position. Employees should be well aware that if guidelines aren’t met,
disciplinary action will be taken.
8th Create a Comprehensive Solution

As a leader, your role in solving workplace conflict is to help employees clarify

their needs and guide them to a fair solution that both sides will accept. When
disputes arise, be sure to address them right away; however, don’t rush when
it comes to working out a resolution.

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 I am a type of person who consult other people before making a big
decision but in making smaller which only affects me as a person I can
make it on my own. This is how I stand about making big decision when
affecting other people or the company I work. Group decision making
has the advantages of drawing from the experiences and perspectives of a
larger number of individuals. Hence, they have the potential to be more
creative and lead to a more effective decision. In fact, groups may
sometimes achieve results beyond what they could have done as
individuals.
 For me communication is the key-Pay attention to communication:
Keep internal and external lines of communication open and receptive.
Be direct and ensure that you understand everything expected of the
project team. The same applies to stakeholders.