Steven Crane and Dwight

Collins

CHESC 2012 Session 34: Making

Student Learning Outcomes into

ECOLOGY

Ecologyis the scientific analysis and

study of interactions among organisms
and their environment, such as the
interactions organisms have with each
other and with their abiotic environment.

PUBLIC
ADMINISTRATION
Public Administration- a branch of political
science dealing primarily with the structure
and workings of agencies charged with the
administration of governmental functions.

Ecology of Public Administration

refers to two things:
The

interaction of
the organisms of
public administration
and their
environment; and

The

interaction of
the administrator
with the organization
itself.

1.The Administrators
Attitudes on Environment

Importance of the task of the

Administrator

The environment helps to determine the

alternatives on the basis off which
business decisions are made and also
affects the value systems which supply
the criteria for choosing among these
alternatives.
-

Robert A. Gordon and James E. Howell

Study of the Environment is

Important

Clearly the executive and his

organization may both benefit from
the experience difficulties with their
relationships to the environment.
Among the practical benefits of the
environment is the way it challenges
and stimulates the individual.
- Dalton E. McFarland

Should be borne in
mind
It is part of the executive responsibility to
be alert to forces in the external
environment that affects the
organization and its goals. Organizations
develop adaptive mechanisms and
structural devices for coping with these
environmental factors and relating them
to the internal process of management.
- Dalton E. McFarland
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II. Ecology and Administrative Effectiveness

Constantly adjusting to its

environment
McFarland says:
The organization constitutes the managers
immediate environment. Therefore
organizational variables are important
determinants of the managers behavior.
But there is also the environment of the
enterprise itself. That is, the organization
exists in a political, economic, social and
technical environment of which it is an
integral part and to which it must relate.

Importance of environment
McFarland reported:
We found that the external environment is
important because it contains influences
that shape the behavior of those inside the
company. The main way this occurs is
through information coming into the
organization from outside that helps it
shape its goals. According to his perception
of these signals and his interpretation of
their meanings, the executives task
environment emerges.

III. Factors of Environmental Constraints

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External Environmental
Factors/Constraints
Educational

Constraint
Legal- Political Constraint
Social- Cultural
Constraint
Economic Constraint
Religious Constraint

Educational Constraint
As seen by Harold Koontz and Cyril
ODonnell, there is always the
phenomenon of a shortage of
educational brain power. They claim
that the characteristics of a society,
the presence of literacy level, the
availability of specialized vocational
training, higher education, and
management development program
could lessen its education motives.
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Legal-Political Constraint
Most organizations, if not all are governed by laws
that are extremely complicated. These laws
usually apply to personnel administration.
While these laws were designed to guide the
administrator in the management of the
organization, in some instances, they hamper
the attainment of its administrative efficiency.

Administration is not only based on laws but also

on human relations. It requires, therefore,
knowledge about people to make legality
practicable.
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Socio-Cultural Constraint
Broadly Speaking, we are
recognizing that man is just a
subsystem of the universe and
that his actions may have
significant adverse implications
for his environment, other living
organisms and all of mankind.
- Johnson, Kast and Rosenzweig
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Economic Constraint
Economic stability is a significant
variable. It is accepted by many
that money is the life-blood of any
organization.By that alone, it is
clear that it is an economic
environmental factor.
Utilization of production factors, as
Koontz and ODonnell piont out, is
also an economic environmental
matter of great significance.
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Religious Constraint
Section 6, Article III, entitled Bills of
Rights:
No law shall be made respecting an
establishment of religion, of prohibiting
the free exercise thereof. The free exercise
and enjoyment of religious profession and
worship, without discrimination or
preference, shall forever be allowed. No
religious test shall be required for the
exercise of civil or political rights.
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The Pressure behind all

organizations is the
realization that no
individual can live and
work by himself. While
he wants to be
independent, he cannot
completely detach
himself from others.
- Jose P. Leveriza

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