Public Administration ETDs

Publication Date

5-7-1975

Abstract

The purpose or reason for doing this research is to conduct a quantitative social science research project to determine the attitudes of the human element of a selected Federal science agency with regard to various management characteristics of that agency. Literary research confirmed that such a research project was feasible and that the scope of the research, as stated above, was reasonable. The literary research also disclosed the existence of a tested survey questionnaire that was available for use as an attitude measurement device and provided conceptual proof of the validity of using this device to examine the selected agency. Lastly, the literary research provided, based on the results of an earlier survey of similar attitudes of the same selected agency, some broad guidelines which were helpful in establishing the research design. Since the research was descriptive in nature, a fact finding project, no hypothesis was developed. The object of the research was to obtain a picture of the management characteristics of the selected agency and not to prove or disprove some particular point, theory, concept, principle, or fact. A stratified sampling plan was developed to obtain the broadest coverage possible of the selected agency. Copies of the survey questionnaire were sent to individuals in each of the four identified status groups in the selected agency on a random basis. The selected individuals were asked to rate the management characteristics of the selected agency as currently perceived and as ideally desired, and to identify themselves with several other correlating factors which categorized the respondents by grade (salary) level, age, education level, sex, and length of service with the agency. Analysis of the research findings resulted in several conclusions. First, it was concluded that the questionnaire did not possess the universal application features that it was expected to possess. Second, it was concluded that the responses varied by status group. Third, the management characteristics of the selected agency could, if desired and considered wise, be changed with a possible result of increased production. And fourth, employee satisfaction is related directly to his status in the organization - higher status leads to higher satisfaction. The concluding section of the paper focused on the worth of the matrix organization approach as a framework for any desired changes in the management characteristics of the selected agency. An analysis of the management processes utilized by the most satisfied status group indicated that the matrix approach was currently being used by that group in its intragroup activities. Hence, there is a closing recommendation that this approach should be considered as an appropriate approach to consider if changes were desired by the selected agency's management.

Degree Name

Public Administration

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

School of Public Administration

First Committee Member (Chair)

Albert H. Rosenthal

Second Committee Member

Vladmir V. Berniklau

Third Committee Member

Leonard Arnold Stitelman

Language

English

Document Type

Thesis

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