Question

Consider the following statements on criticisms of classical theory by scholars like Simon and Waldo:

1. The theory is deemed unscientific due to unverified principles under controlled conditions, leading to inconsistencies and tautologies.

2. Herbert Simon critiqued principles as "proverbs" with contradictory pairs, lacking universal validity for organizational design.

3. It overemphasizes human motivation through non-economic factors, aligning with Hawthorne experiments on social influences.

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 1 and 3 only
• C. 2 and 3 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3

Answer 1

Answer:

A. 1 and 2 only

Criticisms of Classical Theory in Public Administration

Critique of Scientific Rigor:

• The classical theory of administration, which emerged in the early 20th century, was criticized for its lack of empirical verification. Scholars argued that its principles were not tested under controlled scientific conditions, making them difficult to generalize.
• This led to accusations of the theory being unscientific, with principles often appearing as inconsistent or tautological (circular reasoning).

Herbert Simon's Critique:

• Herbert Simon, a Nobel laureate, significantly challenged the classical postulates in his seminal work, Administrative Behavior (1947).
• He famously referred to classical principles like 'unity of command' and 'span of control' as "proverbs".
• Simon argued that for every proverb, there exists a contradictory proverb. For example, while 'unity of command' suggests a single supervisor, 'span of control' suggests limiting the number of subordinates to maintain efficiency, sometimes implying multiple supervisors for specialized tasks or faster decision-making.
• This highlighted the lack of universal validity and adaptability of these principles to diverse organizational contexts.

Human Motivation and Hawthorne Experiments:

• The classical theory tended to view workers primarily through an economic lens, assuming motivation was mainly driven by monetary incentives.
• Critics, influenced by the findings of the Hawthorne experiments (conducted at the Western Electric Hawthorne Works plant from the 1920s to the 1930s), pointed out the importance of social and psychological factors in motivating employees.
• These experiments demonstrated that informal group norms, social relationships, and a sense of belonging significantly impacted productivity, challenging the classical assumption of purely economic motivation.
• Statement 3 is incorrect because classical theory did not overemphasize human motivation through non-economic factors; rather, critics argued it underemphasized them, aligning with the insights from the Hawthorne experiments which emphasized social influences.