Public administration officers are people who are employed by the government to work as overseers of the government in their respective areas of jurisdiction. Public officers are entitled to apply evenhandedness when performing their duties. This is meant to enhance public confidence in government agencies.
There are rules that govern the conduct of public officials. This is necessary because public officers portray the image of the government. Public officials provide a bridge that links the government to the public. Therefore, public administrators should be restricted to only laid down rules.
Max Weber stressed on the need for authority and control. This was called the bureaucratic theory, which emphasized the notion of bureaucratic power. It acknowledged the separation of labor and specialization, thus communication was only from the top managers to lower level managers.
Likewise, the administrative theory emphasized the need of establishing guidelines that can be implemented in all organizations (Thompson 51). Public administrators should observe the guidelines given to them and exercise their duties are required. This means that public should not use their authority to oppress people but instead they should use it for the betterment of the public. Public officers should not violate public expectations because they may be fired.
When a public officer encounters a problem in the line of duty they should first take time to visualize the situation at hand and consider the effects of their decision. Denhardt (10) advises that by visualizing, the officer will have an upper hand. Public officers should execute their duties free from political influence and without fear.
Sometimes administrators are forced to go against the ethics of administrators by using their own expertise to ensure a decision has been made. Before a decision is made it is recommended that the problem be analyzed and come up with possible alternatives. These alternatives should be arranged according to their effectiveness.
Though an administrator may make a decision that looks unethical, it should not be interpreted to mean that the officer has lost his mind. Administrators should consider the culture of the organization that they serve. The key role of these administrators is to monitor their juniors and ensure that the rules and regulations are adhered to.
Each administrator commands authority in his/her department and should not extend his authority to people who don’t fall under his department. It is obvious that when people are being hired to work for an organization, they are selected according to their qualifications. They are then deployed to departments that match with their qualifications.
This is supposed to enhance the performance of elements in an organization. It would be irrelevant to deploy employees in departments that are in conflict with their qualifications. As Weber suggested, specialization in the area of expertise is essential in public administration (Thompson 52).
Authority in an organization is arranged in ranks and that means decisions are made at the top most rank and are spread to lower levels by heads of department. The chief administrator of an organization should ensure that he gives his orders through the administrators rather than literally engaging directly with low level employees.
This will instill fear in employees because they are not used to dealing with the chief administrator. When faced with difficult situations, it is not only the administrators who should respond but also people who have the potential to perform. The idea here is to achieve satisfactory results without criticism. The administrator should not only control people under him but manage the process of attaining the anticipated results.
However, having set of rules hinders democracy in operations. There are always issues between democracy and bureaucracy. Democracy requires having a free consent directed by values. Administrators should know that their positions are not that important but they will be more appreciated according to what they contribute to achieving organizational goals in line with ensuring the public is satisfied by the outcome.
Uniformity in making decisions is very crucial towards satisfying the public contentment. This means that all situations should be handled with respect to fairness. It is important for administrators to do their best to achieve equal satisfaction rather than uniformity in handling public matters (Denhardt 18).
Administrators should understand that the public does not rate their performance by the way they handle issues but by the outcome they bring. This can be enhanced by ensuring that all members of public who are in need of government offices are given alternatives to choose from.
For instance in the department of immigrations, when people come seeking to get passports should be made to book an appointment or follow the long line. This will go a long way in satisfying public expectations because each individual will choose the option that best suits him depending on the urgency of the matter at hand. The administrator will therefore be shielded from public critics.
Works Cited
Thompson, Dennis. Restoring Responsibility: Ethics in government, business, and healthcare. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005. Print.
Denhardt, Robert, and Janet Denhardt. Public Administration: An Action Oriented. 6th ed. California: Thomson Wadsworth, 2009. Print.