UPSC Optional - Public Administration Thinker - Herbert Simon(1916-2001)

 

Herbert Simon

UPSC Optional Notes Free Download - Public Administration Thinker 

Herbert Simon(1916-2001)

 In 1970, received Nobel prize in Economics, decision making process in economics.

 Opined decision making is the base for all the principles.

 In his book “Administrative behavior” Decision making is the heart of administration, and that the

vocabulary of administrative theory must be derived from the logic and psychology of human

choice.

 Administration is an art of “getting things done”

 Role of Choice and behavior in decision making:

- Cognitive or behavioral reasoning of an individual is “the process of finding choices and then

making best choice out of them”

- Conditioned reflex action: Routine activities undertaken, which has a pre-determined standard

set of procedures is called conditioned reflex action. Eg. keeping a record of leaves of

employees(HRM)

 Three kinds of activities:

1.) Intelligence activity-Identification and solving the problem

2.) Design activity-Developing course of action

3.) Choice activity-Choosing on best way out of all available alternatives

 Facts and values in decision making:

- He stated “an administrative science, like any other science, is concerned purely with factual

judgments. There is no place for ethical statements in the study of science.

- Fact is a statement of reality, whereas value is an expression of preference.

 Rationality in decision making:

- Rationality is something that is “concerned with the relation of preferred behavior alternatives

in terms of values whereby the consequences of behavior can be evaluated.”

- All the decision making processes are based on rational choices only.

- Types of rationality:

1.) Objectively rational-if it is correct behavior for maximizing given values in a given situation

2.) Subjectively rational- if decision maximizing attainment relative to knowledge of subject

3.) Consciously rational-where adjustment of means to ends is a conscious process

4.) Deliberately rational-to the degree that the adjustment of means to ends has been

deliberately brought about

5.) Organizationally rational-if it is oriented to organization’s goals

6.) Personally rational-if the decision is directed o one’s personal goals

- Rejected the concept of total rationality due to its unrealistic assumptions

- Bounded rationality he favored

- He said that while taking a decision, an individual doesn’t know about all available variables,

rather, an option that meets satisfaction level is considered. This behavior is called satisficing

decision.

 Models of decision making:

- Opined Administrative man instead of economic man.

 Modes of decision making:

1.) Authority: The myth of authority influences behavior.

2.) Organizational loyalties: Groupism, taking decision on loyalty basis also influences behavior

3.) Criterion of efficiencies: it also influences behavior of decision making

4.) Advice and information: flow of communication

5.) Training: preparing employees to take decisions

Criticism of Herbert Simon:

- Neglected social, political and economical factor which also influences decision making

- Based on factual judgments more than values

- Fact based assumptions are suitable for business administration not public administration

- Personal motivation and emotions avoided

- James McCamy felt that his analysis, individual disappears into organization and that emotion

vanishes in a puff of reason.

- Chester Barnard criticized on four grounds viz. it was inconsistent in its use of terms rational

and efficient, didn’t take into account uncertainty involved in taking decisions, sufficient

attention was not paid to communication factor, didn’t take a politically neutral stance

- Nortan E.Long criticized the value-free science of administration.

- Selznick argues that radical separation of facts and values to o often identified with the logical

distinctions between fact statements and preference statements only encourages the divorce

of means and ends.

- Chris Argyris argued that Simon insisting on rationality has not recognized the role of intuition,

tradition and faith in decision making. Simon’s theory based on status quo ante(the way things

were before POSDCORB)