Good morning this is Megan Reed from PADM news radio station and the topic of discussion today is politics and administration when it concerns policy. My guests are Max Weber, Frederick W. Taylor and Luther H. Gulick. Megan: I would like to open the discussion by asking a little about each of your past and what hobbies interest you. Let’s begin with you Mr. Weber, where are you from and what type of activities interests you besides political science? Max Weber: Well I was born in Erfurt, Thuringia, Germany, on April 21, 1864.
My father, “ Max Weber Sr, was a prosperous right-wing politician whose governmental posts included a seat in the Reichstag.”(Para 1, pp. 21). My mother “ Helene Fallenstein Weber, was a cultured liberal woman of the Protestant faith and the daughter of a well-to-do official.” Actually, my interest or hobby falls along the lines of spirituality or embracing my Christian roots. Megan: Well, that sounds very fascinating, would you like to share your background Mr. Taylor? Frederick W. Taylor: Sure, I was “ born in Philadelphia on March 22, 1856, into a family with deep roots in American culture and a strong religious heritage.”
My father “ Franklin, was a fourth-generation English Quaker” and my mother, “ Emily, and sixth-generation English Puritan. I had lived in England, France and Germany between 1868 and 1871”(Para 3, pp. 56-57) and to be quite honest, it taught me to dislike traveling, probably because I felt that I was being uprooted so often. My hobbies are participating in sporting activities such as tennis and theater. Megan: It’s beginning to sound as though Germany is a popular place, as both men either resided or visited the location.
What about you, Mr. Gulick had you ever been to Germany and can you share a bit about your background? Luther H. Gulick: Well oddly enough, yes I did. I studied at a local technical high school in Germany while learning to speak German (laughs). Um, I was born in “ Osaka, Japan on January 17, 1892”(Para 5. Pp. 20) and I was consider the middle child in the family. My father, “ Sidney Lewis Gulick, was an astronomer and mathematician as well as a theologian.” My mother “ Cara May (Fisher), the daughter of a California banker and ranch owner, was a professionally trained nurse.” Megan: O. k., now that we’ve broken the ice.
Let’s get straight to the point by asking what are the preferred public administrative strategies that each of you gentlemen would select for the American government and why? Frederick W. Taylor: I would suggest a method called “ Scientific Management” which focuses on decreasing an agency inefficiency by considering three techniques such “ time and motion studies, wage-incentive schemes, and functional organization as three of the primary emphases in the technique of Scientific Management” (Para 3, pp. 56, Taylor, 1856-1915). Megan: Can you please elaborate?
Frederick W. Taylor: Sure, the time and motion; General procedure is to break down physical activities into their component parts, specify the optimal routine for the performance of each component part, and discover the most efficient method for recombining the parts into the more complex task. (Para 1. Pp. 64, Taylor, 1856-1915) In layman’s terms, it’s breaking the work procedure of an employee given task and examining how the employee can produce the maximum results throughout each process.
Then reconstructing the complex task for the employee to perform at their maximum ability in a standard setting. This system alongside paying employees a generous check and placing accountability in the planning department rather than with the executive management would produce meaningful results within the public sector.
Megan: Sounds interesting, what’s your take on Mr. Taylor’s theory Luther? Luther H. Gulick: I think it sounds logical but in the end, it’s a bunch of “ Horse Manure.” Max Weber: Wow…Oh my!!! Frederick W. Taylor: Well hold on sir. I think you are well out of line. Luther H. Gulick: No offense but I will explain why. Frederick W. Taylor: I am gravely offended. My studies were not produced over-night but please carry on. I am very interested in your opinion for what it’s worth… (mumbling) it’s just an opinion. Luther H. Gulick: I think there is a better way.
I think removing authority and accountability from the executive department and transferring it to the planning department is nonsense, especially if one desires to increase the pay of the laborers. It’s given too much power to the staff while shifting the workload to the executives or supervisors. That doesn’t balance anything out, and quite frankly, it leads to an early burnout and high turnover among management. The best way to approach public administration is to hire young talent.
Megan: Can you be a little specific, what do mean by hiring young talent? Luther H. Gulick: ‘ Pick’em young, tell’em everything, and treat’em rough, but fairly. In other words, public employees should be recruited early, they should have an apprentice period to learn the job and ‘ weak sisters’ should be left behind…A probationary period should be served by all public employees, and strict controls should be placed on temporary appointments to avoid circumvention of the competitive examination requirements. Advancement in the career service should be based on merit, and good salaries, and adequate retirement benefits should be offered to attract and retain qualified employees.
Safeguards should be built into the system to protect employees from arbitrary dismissals. (Pp. 102, Gulick, 1892-1993) Megan: That sounds like a good idea, and I think the government is looking into implementing such a plan, which falls under the Civil-Service Reform Act which includes a program called “ Pathways” for young people to enter government via an internship and Senior Executive Service (SES) for career changers to enter government. By the way, we have yet to hear what Max Weber has to share in regards of his theory?
Max Weber: I think that Mr. Taylor’s and Mr. Gulick ideas should be highly acknowledged and respected. Although, I think the focus should be more on the process of how a government produces a result. Applying the scientific method and recruiting young talent while offering a career path are excellent ideas alongside avoiding the political values that plague the government and training personnel to be neutral while focusing on producing the optimal results via scientifically proven methods for its citizens is the highest noble virtue under God.
I believe that; Administration under traditional authority tends to be irrational because the development of rational regulation is impeded; there is likely to be no staff with form, technical training; and there is wide scope for the indulgence of personal whims(Para 1. Pp. 32 Webers, 1864-1920) I, therefore, believe that government should be led by rules, a bureaucracy and an official leader; In administration, the legitimacy of legal authority rests on rules that are rationally established.
Submission to authority is based on an impersonal bond to a generally defined ‘ duty of office,’ and official duty is fixed by rationally established norms. Obedience constitutes deference to an impersonal order, not an individual, and even the giving of a command represents obedience to an organizational norm rather than the arbitrary act of the person giving the order. Thus, the official does not exercise power in his own right; he is only a “ trustee” of an impersonal, compulsory institution.
The organization of the administrative staff under legal authority is a balance between formal or procedural justice and substantive justice, but with relative emphasis on the formal aspects of justice. (Para 3. Pp. 32, Weber, 1864-1920) Megan: Well, with that being said, I think this concludes our session concerning politics and administration. Thank you gentlemen for sharing your theories and thank you listeners for tuning into PADM radio. Good night!
