WHAT IS THE ORIGIN OF THE ADMINISTRATION? - DUDAS - 2025

The origin of the administration goes back to the origin of the human need to organize: it has been present since primitive times. It is a science that consists of directing an entity or a good, which may or may not be owned by the person who administers it.

It is a discipline that seeks constant improvement in the management of resources, personnel, equipment, materials, money and human relations. It is oriented towards the search for effectiveness, and it is universal and interdisciplinary.

The term administration comes from the Latin "ad" (direction) and "minister" (subordination). The different civilizations in history have shown tendencies to develop administrative processes as they progress.

Human beings have used the administration to order actions such as the search for food or the construction of their houses.

Origin

Some authors locate the beginnings of the administration in the commercial activities of the Sumerians and the ancient Egyptians. Others attribute them to the organizational methods of the Catholic Church and the ancient militias.

However, there is no definitive consensus on the date on which this science, which today is known as administration, began.

Ancient world and administration

The selection of the best hunters and warriors of the nomadic tribes in the primitive age is considered an administrative act: the work was divided according to the capacity, sex and age of the individuals.

The Sumerians, for their part, recorded many of their activities, including their commercial transactions, on clay tablets. They also practiced labor stratification: there were master craftsmen, workers and apprentices.

In Ancient Egypt, the pharaohs were the authority and wanted to build huge buildings, so they had to delegate personnel management tasks to others; in this way, a few led large masses of workers. Something similar happened with the task of collecting taxes.

In fact, the political systems of these civilizations used administrative principles to exercise their power.

In ancient China there was also a need to apply these principles. Around 1100 BC. C. the Constitution of Chow was written, that served as guide to know the tasks that the servants had to fulfill. This can be considered as an antecedent to the definition of functions.

The great Greek philosophers also recorded their efforts to improve certain human processes. For example, they noticed that food production improved if methods were followed and deadlines were met.

Several philosophers of whom they wrote something related to this were the following:

- Socrates

Portrait of Socrates. Marble, Roman artwork (1st century), perhaps a copy of a lost bronze statue made by Lysippos

He spoke of technical knowledge and experience as separate issues.

- Plato

Plato established the differences between eristics and dialects. Source: Glyptothek, via Wikimedia Commons.

He spoke of task specialization, though not by that name.

- Aristotle

Bust of Aristotle in the Altemps Palace, Source: Jastrow / Public domain

He philosophized about the perfect state of things.

- Pericles

Pericles, by British Library, via Wikimedia Commons

He contributed several of the fundamental principles of administration and personnel selection.

Ancient Rome is also owed contributions in this field, such as the classification of companies as public, semi-public and private. And in the second century AD. C. the Catholic Church established a hierarchical structure with objectives and doctrine.

The popularity of Arabic numbers between the 5th and 15th centuries also contributed to improving commercial exchange processes, and led to the emergence of disciplines such as accounting.

Middle Ages of the administration

Just as the societies had a historical moment of transition, the administration also had it. During this era, centralism weakened and was evidenced in the fall of the Roman Empire, the rise of feudalism, and the consolidation of the militias.

In the Middle Ages the feudal system decentralized power, which brought with it government and business problems.

Feudalism changed the structures of power; many serfs became independent workers and many artisans became masters. Guilds also appeared, which are the antecedents of the unions, and the accounting books.

The way of working of the merchants of Venice gave birth to two figures that are still important today: the association and the limited partnership.

On the other hand, the principle of unity of command of the militia and some terms of the militia's own operations were adopted in the organizational world: strategy, logistics, recruitment, among others.

Administration and modernity

Machiavelli

In this new phase of administration, Machiavelli brings out ideas that would be applied in contemporary administration:

- When the members of an organization express their problems and solve them, progress is made towards stability.

- Teamwork guarantees the life of an organization.

- The role of a leader is key.

- The organization must preserve some cultural and structural features from its origin, regardless of time and changes that occur.

These principles, together with the experience accumulated until then in business matters, guided the administrative tasks during the Industrial Revolution. At this time, mass production arose and the need for specialization of workers became clear.

In fact, it was in the 19th century that the first scientific publications on management appeared. But at the end of the 20th century, the development of society was accelerated in various areas and demanded the refinement and improvement of administrative processes.

Similarly, advances in fields such as engineering, sociology, psychology and industrial relations, influenced the evolution of the administration.

Administration types

- Classic

- Scientific

- Bureaucratic

- Humanist

-Behavioral

- Systemic

- Of human relationships

Emblematic figures in the field of administration

- Frederick Winslow Taylor

- Frank and Lillian Gilbreth

- Henry Gantt

- Max Weber

- Henry Fayol

- Chester Barnard

- Hugo Münsterbeg

- Mary Parker Follet

- Elton Mayo

- Abraham Maslow

- Douglas McGregor

- Adam Smith

- Robert Owen

- Charles Babbage

- Henry R. Towne

References

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