PA 642 Seminar in Administrative Theory
Spring Online 2015
Instructor Contact Information:
Professor: Kelley Crockett PhD.
Phone: 619.730.9658
Email: Skype kelley.crockett or E-Mail: kcrockett@mail.sdsu.edu
Office hours: Online via email or M 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 pm on Skype by appointment
Course description:
Organizations use human beings to achieve goals. Organizational administrative theory is a set of
ideas and concepts that seek to explain or predict relationships among things in and around
organizations such as environment, culture, goals, effectiveness, strategy, decision-making, change,
innovation, structure and life cycle.
Administrative behavior within organizations is dependent on personality, environment and situation,
and, increasingly networked relationships. Students in this course will trace the evolution of
administrative behavior that has been traditionally categorized as classical, modern, humanistic, prepostmodern and postmodern.
Course Learning Outcomes:
Review and synthesize the history of organization administrative theory as a field of study
Integrate theory in discussions as applied to concrete situations
Write competently on several traditional and contemporary theoretical constructs
Understand the movement away from positivist predictive theory to postmodern concerns for in
situ examinations of language, culture, and social structures as benchmarks for organizational
knowledge
5) Demonstrate breadth of knowledge of the field as it applies to improving administrative efficiency,
effectiveness, adaption to change and equity in citizen interaction
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Course Materials:
Pershing, S. and Austin, E., (2015). Organization Theory and Governance for the 21st Century. CQ Press,
a division of SAGE, Thousand Oaks, CA.
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Supplemental readings for discussions (provided in BB):
Creativity, Innovation and Collaborative Organizations by Sousa, Pellissier and Monteiro (2012)
Public Sector Leadership Theory by Van Wart (2003)
Toward a Critical Theory by Denhardt (1981)
Sign up to choose reading and discussing one of the following articles:
Organizational Identity, Image and Adaptive Instability by Gioia, Schultz, Corley (2000)
Identity Regulation as Organizational Control: Producing the Appropriate Individual by Alvesson and
Willmott (2002)
Expecting the unexpected Non-profit woman’s organizations’ media responses to anti-abortion
terrorism (postmodern lens) by Sundstrom, Briones, and Janoske (2013)
Modern to postmodern management developments in scientific management by Kemp (2013)
Suggested Supplemental reading (provided in BB):
Theory and the Public Administration Student/Practitioner by Cunningham and Weschler (2002)
Human Nature in Politics by Simon (1985)
Managing Networks: Propositions on What Managers Do and Why They Do It by McGuire (2002)
Assessment and Grading:
Exams:
40% of Final Grade
The four exams are spread out through the semester and only cover the modules they designate. Once
we cover that section, we move on. Exams will start out and remain available until their final due date
which means you can take them early at your own pace once you finish the content for the
corresponding modules. There are 10 multiple choice and true/false questions and one bonus
replacement question per exam. Although these are open book, open note, collaboration is not
allowed and would be considered unprofessional with serious consequences.
Discussion Responses:
20% of Final Grade
There are 4 discussions based on supplemental readings. The last discussion has choice built in so you
will need to sign up for which article you would like to discuss. A couple of paragraphs will suffice and
one response to a peers’ post is adequate except in the last discussion assignment in which you should
respond once each to the other three article posts (not the article you choose to discuss) so you get
the gist of all the articles.
Short Essays:
40% of Final Grade
You will be responsible for 4, three to four pages each, essays that answer a question similar to one
you might encounter on the Administration Theory Comprehensive Exam.
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Grading Scale:
94-100=A
73-76=C
90-93=A70-72=C-
87-89=B+
67-69=D+
83-86=B
63-66=D
80-82=B60-62=D-
77-79=C+
Below 60=F
Plagiarism and cheating:
There should not be any ambiguity as to what constitutes plagiarism or cheating with the consequence of
assignment and possibly course failure but if you have questions please refer to SDSU’s site
http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/htc/plagiarism.pdf.
Student Services:
If you have a disability and need accommodations for this class, it is your responsibility to contact
Student Disability Services as soon as possible at (760) 768 5502. Please note that accommodations are
not retroactive, and that accommodations based upon disability cannot be provided until you have
presented your instructor with an accommodation letter from Student Disability Services.
Course Schedule
Module 1: January 21 to February 1 About Administrative Theory
 Read Pershing and Austin Chapter 1
 Read Pershing and Austin Pages 301 to 305
 Suggested Supplemental Reading: “Theory and the Public Administration Student/Practitioner”
 View Professor Lecture “Administrative and Organization Theory” (Overview of Foundational to PostModern Theory Introduction)
Module 2: February 2 to February 8 Classical to Modern Theories
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Read Pershing and Austin Chapter 2
Read Pershing and Austin Pages 306 to 308
View Professor Lecture “Classical to Modern” (Taylor’s Scientific Management, Weber’s Bureaucratic
Approach, Fayol’s Administrative Theory etc.)
Module 3: February 9 to February 15 The Rise of Humanism Theories
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Read Pershing and Austin Chapter 3
Suggested Supplemental Reading: Human Nature in Politics by Simon
View Professor Lecture “The Rise of Humanism” (Mayo’s Hawthorne Effect, Bernard’s Theory of Informal
Groups, McGregor’s Motivation Theories, Maslow, Herzberg, Hackman and Oldman’s Need Theories etc.)
Assessment Week: February 16 to February 22
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Essay 1: Simon criticizes the classical structural model in terms of its ridged hierarchy and the division of
work in that it didn’t consider the knowledge of human behavior to be relevant. Discuss how motivation
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theories act as a counterpoint to the classical model of organizational administration. Be sure to discuss
McGregor’s theory x and y and the rise of the humanists, motivation theory, and formal versus informal
groups. Due February 18, 2015.
Exam #1 over Modules 2 and 3 and Chapter 1 in P&A February 22 by 11:00 pm.
Module 4: February 23 to March 1 Individual Behavior
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Read Pershing and Austin Chapter 5
View Professor Lecture “Decision Making” (Simon’s Rational or Satisficing Theory, Waldo’s Value Laden
Theory, Selznick’s Institutionalism Theory, Lindblom’s Incrementalism Theory, etc)
Module 5: March 2 to March 8 Group Behavior
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Read Pershing and Austin Chapter 6
Read Supplemental Article: Creativity, Innovation and Collaborative Organizations by Sousa et al
View Professor Lectures “Fostering Creativity and Cooperation” and “Systems Theory” (Senge and
Easton: Systems Theory)
Assessment Week: March 9 to March 15
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Discussion #1 Supplemental Article: Creativity, Innovation and Collaborative Organizations Due March
10
Essay 2: Using system theory discuss the relationship between Khandwalla’s statement “creativity is
divergent thinking, the seeking of relationships between previously unrelated concepts or frames of
reference” and working in groups and teams. Due March 11
Exam #2 over Modules 4 and 5 March 15 by 11:00 pm.
Module 6: March 16 to March 22 Constructionist Pre-Postmodern Theories
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Read Pershing and Austin Chapter 4
Suggested Supplemental Reading: Managing Networks: Propositions on What Managers Do and Why
They Do It by McGuire
View Professor Lecture “Constructionist’s Ideas” (Weick’s Sense making, Williamson’s Transactional Cost
Economic Theory, Agency Theory, Scott & O’Toole’s Network Theory, Lorsh’s Contingency Theory,
Stacey’s Complexity Theory, Durkeim’s Structural Functionalism Theories, Luckman & Berger’s Social
Construction Theory, etc).
Module 7: March 23 to March 29 Leading Change in Organizations
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Read Pershing and Austin Chapter 7
Read Supplemental Article: Public Sector Leadership Theory by Van Wart
View Professor Lecture “ Leadership” (Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Theory, Tichy and
Devanna’s Guided Change Theory, Lewin’s Theory of Social Change, Greenleaf’s Servant Leadership
Theory, etc.).
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Spring Break March 30 to April 3
Module 8: April 6 to April 12 Self-Knowledge, Communication and the Environment
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Read Pershing and Austin Chapter 8
Read Supplemental Article: Toward a Critical Theory by Denhardt
View Professor Lecture “Self-Knowledge and Administration” Denhardt’s Critical Theory, Pfeffer's
Resource Dependency Theory, Network Theory cont., etc.).
Assessment Week: April 13 to April 19
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Discussion #2 Supplemental Article: Public Sector Leadership Theory Due April 14
Discussion #3 Supplemental Article: Toward a Critical Theory Due April 15
Essay 3: Drucker advises that organizations have social responsibilities both within the organization and
outside of it. Discuss how self-knowledge leads to an understanding of motivation that then becomes a
tool for providing opportunities for employee growth. Using resource dependency theory or network
theory describe how alliances within and outside the organizational environment can meet social needs
while increasing productivity. Due April 18.
Exam #3 over Modules 6, 7, and 8 April 19 by 11:00 pm
Module 9: April 20 to April 26 Postmodernism
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Read Pershing and Austin Chapters 9 and 10
Read Pershing and Austin Pages 309 to 314
Read A CHOICE OF ONE (sign up ahead of time in discussions): Organizational Identity, Image and
Adaptive Instability by Gioia, Schultz, Corley (2000), OR Identity Regulation as Organizational Control:
Producing the Appropriate Individual by Alvesson and Willmott (2002), OR Expecting the unexpected
Non-profit woman’s organizations’ media responses to anti-abortion terrorism (postmodern lens) by
Sundstrom, Briones, and Janoske (2013), OR Modern to postmodern management developments in
scientific management by Kemp (2013)
View Professor Lecture “Postmodernism, Power and Organization Politics” (Foucault’s Conflict Theory,
Thompkin’s, and Katz and Kahn’s Organization Identity Theory, etc.)
Assessment Week: April 27 to May 3
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Discussion #4 Supplemental Article on Postmodern topics Due April 28
Essay 4: Many postmodernists assume that conflict is an inevitable aspect of organizations especially in
terms of paradigms of power and control as seen through language and symbols that assign roles in
dichotomies such as powerful/powerless, dominant/submissive, insider/outsider etc. Discuss how
individual or organizational identity is assumed or imposed as a method of control in organizations as
well as how individuals (minorities, women or members) can resist. Due April 30
Exam #4 over Module 9 May 3 by 11:00 pm
****IMPORTANT NOTE**** IF YOU PLAN TO TAKE THE COMPREHENSIVE EXAM DURING THE SAME
SEMESTER THAT YOU ARE TAKING THE COURSE YOU MUST BE FINISHED WITH THE COURSE MATERIAL
FIRST AS ANY OF IT MIGHT BE ON THE EXAM
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