Section 1 Why We Need Administration

Administration is an important area in organized human 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. Every organization
requires administration to function effectively to achieve its goals. Administration
is necessary to orchestrate the myriad activities of the organization.

Definition

Herman Stein describes the concept of administration as the process of defining and
attaining the objectives of the organization through a system of coordination and
cooperative effort.

Administration as a method of practice revolves primarily on the following activities:

1. Determination of goals and/or setting of objectives;

2. Formulation of policies;
3. Maintenance of an organization;
4. Formulation of plans;
5. Securing of resources;
6. Selection of technologies necessary for operations;
7. Design of programs and services;
8. Optimization of organizational behavior;
9. Evaluation of results for the improvement of services; and
10. Accounting for resource utilization.

Administration is a continuous process that leads to organizational growth and

development. Administration, therefore, is a phenomenon occurring in governments,
schools, business firms, labor unions, hospitals, and in any organized goal-seeking
group of persons.
Characteristics of Administration

The basic characteristics spelled out in pertinent literature include the following:

1. Administration is a human enterprise that involves the activity of people in the

organization.
2. 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.
3. The resources of people and materials are harnessed and coordinated to
achieve organizational goals.
4. Leadership is implicit in administration. Leadership has been defined as the
ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute
toward the effectiveness and success of the organization of which they are
members.

Leadership occurs at all levels of the organization. The task of leadership varies with the
position that it occupies in the organizational hierarchy, be it at the top-level, mid-level,
etc.

Coordination, cooperation, and participation are the means for achieving the
organizational goals. Complementation-working and acting together-involves people
taking part in organizational tasks for shared goals.

Elements of Administration

Organization and management are the two primary elements of

administration.Organization is the 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.
An organization comes into being when:

a. there are persons able to communicate with each other,

b. who are willing to contribute action, and
c. to accomplish a common purpose.

While communication, willingness to serve, and common purpose may be found in all
organizations, efficiency and effectiveness would be essential for its continued
existence.

Definition

Management is the activity that allocates and utilizes resources to achieve the
goals of the organization. More specifically, it is the scientific utilization of manpower,
money, machines, materials, methods, time, space, and other resources for the
attainment of organizational goals. It involves the tasks of establishing and maintaining
an organizational climate or internal environment in which people working together in
groups can perform effectively and efficiently towards the attainment of group goals.
Management is essential in all organized activity, as well as at all levels of an
enterprise. It is undertaken by a manager who gets things done by working with people
and other resources to attain organizational objectives. It can be "conceptualized as
various ways of shaping and exerting an influence over the work environment." As such,
it is primarily a proactive than a reactive activity. Management is the function of the
university president and the army general, as well as the shop foreman and the social
welfare agency supervisor.
Administration in Human Service Organizations

Social administration, social welfare administration, and social work administration are
found in social work literature as they apply to human service organizations.
Conceptually, they need not be differentiated as they are not separate nor mutually
exclusive entities although they focus on the macro to micro continuum in organizational
development. Social administration, according to Archie Hanlan, 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.

This considers the social work profession as a subsystem of the large social, political,
and economic institutions of society. In a general sense, the term social administration
is used to refer to administration in the fields of health, education, and other social
development fields. Social welfare administration refers more specifically to the
administrative processes in a social welfare agency, the formulation of its policies and
plans, and their implementation into programs and services for specific client groups. It
is also referred to as social agency administration. Edward Schwartz claims that the
major objective of social welfare administration is the enhancement of social
functioning,"

Werner Boehm uses the term social functioning in his definition of the profession of
social work.

Edward Schwartz implies, therefore, that social welfare as a field of administration and
social work as a profession may be considered to have a shared objective.
Section 2 Social Work Administration

Definition

Social work administration is a method of social work concerned with the

provision and distribution of societal resources so as to enable people to meet
their needs and fulfill their potentials toward empowering their lives it is assumed
that in transforming social policies into programs and services, the social work
administrator applies a synthesis of social work methods in the administrative
processes. As a secondary method in social work, administration, according to
Walter Friedlander, is based upon the principles and techniques of administration
in general but addressed to the specific social work tasks of defining and solving
human problems and satisfying human needs.

As a part of social work practice, the Code of Ethics equally applies to it. The
same core values such as the worth and dignity of persons, service, social
justice, among others, apply to social work administration. In administration there
are greater chances of ethical conflicts than being a direct service worker,
because of the greater number of stakeholders involved in the organization and
the need to meet numerous obligations within and outside the organization.

Major Characteristics of Social Work Administration

The characteristics of social work administration include the following:

1. The use of the principles and techniques of administration in general

2. The use of the philosophy, aims, and functions of social work, its methods
of social diagnosis, analysis and synthesis of individual, group or
community needs, and of generalizations for change or development in
agency functions and goals. Its primary focus is a helping process for
individuals, groups, and communities.
 3. Working with people based on knowledge and understanding of human
behavior, human relations, and human organizations.
4. Methods encompassing not only in the services provided by the agency
but also in the administrative process and staff relations.
5. Ethics playing a significant role.
Activities Undertaken in Social Work Administration

Harleigh Trecker spells out the following activities as major areas of administrative
work and responsibility:
1. Study and analyze the community.
2. Determine agency purpose as basis for clientele selection or people to be
served.
3. Provide financial resources, budgeting, and accounting.
4. Develop agency policies, programs and procedures for the implementation
of agency purposes.
5. Select and work agency leadership, professional and nonprofessional
staff, boards, committees, and service volunteers.
6. Provide and maintain physical plant, equipment, and supplies.
7. Develop a plan, establish and maintain effective community relations, and
interpret programs.
8. Keep complete and accurate records of agency operations and make
regular reports.
9. Plan and conduct research on a regular basis.
10. Continuously conduct regular evaluation of program and personnel.

Importance of Social Work Administration

Social work administration is the keystone for maximizing the effectiveness of social
work programs in the solution of social problems and in the betterment of social
conditions for all people.
Social work administration provides the framework for social work practice that relates it
to other agency functions. The quality of social work practices is greatly influenced by
social work administration.

Aspects of Social Work Administration

The aspects of social work administration are:

1. Functions - The following are the social work administration functions:
a. The means by which identified social needs are dealt with by
appropriate social services, whether under public or private
auspices.
b. The societal action for improved or new services needed by specific
groups or the community as a whole. There is decision-making at
every level of administration.
2. Structure - The study of structure consists of:
a. Studying it in relation to the organization as an element of
administration
b. Knowing that the social welfare agency represents the
organizational structure in social work administration.

3. Process - Social work administration is a continuous, dynamic, and total

process of bringing together people, resources, and purposes to
accomplish the agency goal of providing social services.

As a process, it is based upon knowledge of human nature and human

organization to establish and maintain a system of participative and cooperative
effort at all levels of the organization. Trecker points out that as a process, social
work administration has important dimensions that include:

a. Central dimension - This is the task of work assignment within the

agency structure. There is a wide distribution of responsibility in the
 agency with the allocation of tasks and functions for every level of work.
The community in which the agency works affects agency purposes and
programs as it is the source of support as well as the object of services

b. Psychosocial Dimension - This presupposes that people release their

feelings and energies and that these feelings and energies, when properly
harnessed by administrators, constitute the human resources in achieving
agency goals.

Evaluation of Organizational Management and Leadership in Social Work

Administration

Based on the field practicum evaluation guidelines used as reference, here are
10 areas for evaluation

1. Appropriate use of self in relation to the agency's organizational structure

and individual staff functions.
2. Effective communication and handling of conflicts.
3. Ability to initiate and maintain systems for implementing ideas.
4. Skill in assessing available information, including budgets, for planning.
5. Initiative in analyzing and designing program components.
6. Skill in utilizing management information technology.
7. Capacity to coordinate activities, develop leadership, and delegate tasks
in working with staff, committees, or coalitions.
8. Ability to overcome staff or organizational resistance to task completion.
Section 3 Social Welfare Agency

Definition

A social welfare agency is a structured framework within which the

administrative tasks are carried out. It is an instrument of society, established
through government initiative or through voluntary efforts to achieve a social
goal.

Peter Drucker outlines how a social welfare agency in its simplest form
comes into being when "several people see an unmet need, want to meet that
need, get community permission to meet that need, and accept legal
responsibility for seeing that the resources secured, or made available, are used
for the specific purpose for which they were given rather than for some other
purpose.

Types of Social Welfare Agencies

Traditionally, the types of social welfare agencies include:

1. Governmental or public agencies - organizations supported by public

funds or taxes.
2. Private or voluntary agencies - organizations supported by private
contributions or donations or income from services. These are popularly
referred to as nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).
3. Semi-government or quasi-governmental organizations - organizations
that receive some form of subsidy, either in cash or kind, from the
government.

Characteristics of Public Agencies

 The characteristics of public agencies are:

1. They are created through any of these: constitutional mandate, legislative

act, executive order, presidential decree, or letter of instruction.
2. Their existence, functions, and programs are created by law or executive
order, hence, may only be changed or modified by lower executive order.
3. Their organizational structure is bureaucratic and less flexible than private
agencies.
4. They must conform with government procedures, especially the
accounting and auditing of funds, property, and other resources

Characteristics of Private Agencies

Private agencies are characterized by the following:

1. They are organized as a form of response of private organizations to meet

people's needs in the community.
2. They may be national chapters of international organizations such as the
Red Cross, Young Man Catholic Association (YMCA), World Vision, and
others.
3. They may have been established by sectarian or non-sectarian
organizations.
4. They are governed by their own charters, constitution and by-laws, and by
a governing board.
5. Their organizational structures do not generally follow a bureaucratic
pattern, and, therefore, are more flexible in their policies and programs
that enable them to readily respond to people and community needs.
6. Private agencies can pioneer and initiate demonstration projects which
may subsequently be turned over to the government. The latter can adopt
the program on a larger scale with more available resources and
organizational capacity.
Size of a Social Welfare Agency

The social welfare agency may be a small organization with a few people
involved in the program or a complex social system involving a great number of
people. For a large social welfare agency, the personnel would include
administrators at various levels, professionals, members of different related
professions, clerical, technical, and manual staff, as well as volunteers and
paraprofessionals.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is a good case

illustration of a large public social welfare agency. In addition to being a national
social welfare agency, it has deployed social work staff in different countries
where there are Filipino overseas workers through the International Social
Welfare Services for Filipino Nationals (ISWSFN). In collaboration with the
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Labor and
employment (DOLE), the Filipino migrant workers in crisis situation and in need
of special protection are provided proper assistance by virtue of Republic Act
(R.A.) 8042 or the Migrant Worker and Overseas Filipino Act of 1995, Smaller in
scale and responsibility are the local government social welfare offices at the
provincial and municipal city levels which are established under the authority of
the Local Government Code (LGC), a Private agencies exist at the local level to
meet the needs of residents. An example of a small agency is the Philippine
Band of Mercy.

Nature of Social Welfare Agencies

Rosemary C. Sarri and Robert D. Vinter suggest that social welfare agencies
"must be viewed both as administrative bureaucracies and as social systems."
They are administrative bureaucracies in that they are established to attain
specific goals, and their internal structures, technologies and procedures are
designed to implement these goals. An example is the Standard Operating
Procedures (SOP) of agencies meant to guide agency workers in the
performance of their tasks to serve particular client groups in accordance with
agency goals. They are social systems that adaptively respond to external and
internal pressures, and they generate informal patterns that may both facilitate
and hamper goal attainment.

Being social systems, social agencies are subject to pressures from outside and
within the organization. For instance, political factors interfere with normal
operations of the public agencies as in the appointment of managers and their
staff. Socio-cultural factors such as utang-na-loob, (debt of gratitude) and
pakikisama (getting along with...) oftentimes characterize the informal
relationships that may contravene the formal tenets of the organization. The
economic situation also affects funding and support to social agencies that may
cause the cutting down and/or elimination of existing programs. The professional
culture influences social agencies by establishing standards of practice which are
mandated through licensure requirements established by law. R.A. 4373 has
made a difference in the standards of professional staffing of both public and
private agencies."

Other Types of Social Agencies

Other types of social agencies may be created by foundations set up by

individuals, business corporations, religious organizations, or even universities.
An example is the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), a
corporate-led non-profit social development foundation in the Philippines that is
committed to poverty alleviation and people development.
Section 4 Social System

Definition

Conceptually, a social system is a whole with each part bearing a dynamic

relation to every other part and all are interdependent. A system, according to
William Link is "a purposeful organized interrelationship of components in which
the performance of the whole exceeds the individual outputs of all the parts."

When applied to social work administration, it refers to the concept of agency

purpose and interrelationship of different units as subsystems of the organization.
The interrelation and coordination of the various sub-systems are brought about
by the information and communication network, the decision-making mechanism
and other built-in mechanisms which exist in every organization.

Basic Components of Social Systems

The components of social systems are the following:

1. Input - The input into the system may be human resource, work method,
or a set of beliefs from the environment. They find a way of relating with
each other within the system. A change in one input may affect the entire
system.
2. Output The output represents what the system is doing in relation to its
goals.
3. Throughput - This refers to the conversion process of inputs to outputs

The following illustration by William Link of a basic systems model applicable to the
social agency as a social system.
Figure 1. BASIC SYSTEMS MODEL

In the foregoing illustration, the human, financial, and physical resources represent the
inputs that are converted into programs and services with the management as the
mechanism in the conversion process.

Properties of Systems

Systems may demonstrate open and closed properties, described as follows:

1. In an open system, the clientele to be served comes from the community as well
as the resource inputs for its support and maintenance. This is the characteristic
of an open system. Most systems are open and the social agency is a good
example of this.
2. A closed system is one that is not affected by its external environment. In reality,
there are very few closed systems. The closed system may apply to an agency
the programs and services of which remain constant despite changes in the
socio-economic and/or political situation.

In considering the closed and open properties of systems, it should be remembered

that the social system is permeable to other systems and is affected by them. Thus, the
social system is influenced by its external environment, i.e., the community.
 Multiple systems apply to the many levels of systems and subsystems. According
to Link the study of a multiple system moves from a smail view, i.e., microcosm, to a
large view, i.e., macrocosm of systems.

A program undertaken by a social agency could be viewed as a system by itself or

a subsystem in relation to the various agency programs in the community. The social
administration, social welfare administration, and social work administration continuum
is an example of multiple systems.

Systems equilibrium or stability is the tendency of an organization (system) to

maintain a uniform and beneficial stability within and between its parts. The
management function in an organization provides the mechanism for system equilibrium
not only within the system but also among the subsystems.

An example of systems equilibrium in an agency is seen when staff morale is high

and work performance is satisfactory. A further illustration is when the agency has
demonstrated relevance to community needs, and has at the same time maintained a
network of relationships with various sectors of the community.

Relation of the Systems Approach to the Management Process

The following figure is an illustration in the "Manager's Job: A Systems Approach"

by Seymons Tilles to relate the systems approach to the management process."
Figure 2. A COMPLEX INPUT-OUTPUT SYSTEM

Through planning, organizing, controlling, and administering, the manager takes

certain resource inputs and converts them in order to achieve some value utility or
output.

Levels

The various levels in the organization include the following:

1. Policy level - At this level are the following parameters:

a. Policy-making in public agencies is a function of higher officials based on
constitutional mandate, legislative act, executive order or presidential decree.
 b. In non-governmental organizations policy-making is vested in duly constituted
board of directors. The other functions of the board are to:
(1) review and approval of recommendations, reports, and budget;
(2) negotiation, contract signing, and other legal matters;
(3) upholding of professional standards;
(4) provision of directions for the reports;
(5) provision of directions for the interpretation of the agency to the
community; and
(6) fund raising.

2. Administrative or executive level - The functions of the executive are:

a. Participation in the formulation and determination of policy;

b. Provision of guidance and direction the planning process:
c. Staffing and organizing:
d. Provision of guidance, direction, supervision, coordination, and fiscal control;
e. Provision of continuous interpretation of the agency to the public, including the
preparation of the annual report;
f. Provision of continuous evaluation to improve agency standards; and
g. Representing the agency in councils and other organizations in the community

3. Supervisory level - The supervisor enables the workers to perform their functions
more effectively and provides the means for them to grow in their jobs. His/her functions
are:

a. Ensuring that work is done as mandated and expected (administrative).

b. Provision of guidance in the best use of worker's knowledge and skills and
assisting in the development of competence required by their functions
(educative).
c. Provision of support and assistance whenever needed by workers (service).
4. Direct service level - The direct service workers have direct/field contact with the
people or clients needing agency services or assistance in the context of professional
values and ethics. The functions of the direct service level workers include the following:

a. Interpretation of policies and procedures in rendering services and in helping

the client system (individuals, groups and communities) in the context of
professional and ethical values.
b. Provision of concrete, psycho-social, and other services needed by the clients.
c. Referral of clients to other services in the community when indicated.
d. Advocacy on clients' behalf for needed services or benefits.
e. Use of a range of interventions in helping clients in order to empower them to
become independent and self-determined to help themselves.
f. Provision of opportunity for client participation in decision-making.
g. Preparation of appropriate and timely agency documentation.
h. Use of information technology to enhance ability to help clients.
i. Availment of assistance/service experience in helping evaluate programs and
services. This serves as the basis for the agency to transform or modify policies
to meet more effectively the changing needs of individuals, groups, and
communities.