Public Administration ETDs

Publication Date

5-2-1973

Abstract

It is of the utmost importance for any government’s administrative and regulatory agencies to adapt to new, interlocking and varied problems. The traditional approach to problem confrontation has been to establish a new specialized program and increase the manpower of an existing agency, In fact, reorganization to many bureaucrats simply implies adding more staff. This paper attempts to argue the benefits of reorganizing a bureaucratic entity along the lines of a problem-solving structure. This, as opposed to a program-delivery structure, should help agencies to be more responsive to the needs of the polity. Reorganization for reorganization's sake is not good, nor can better economical efficiency be the sole reason for changing the structure of an organization. Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “The reason for reorganization is good management.” And good management is the key to problem-solving. This paper is concerned with the organization of a municipal Environmental Coordinating Agency. An agency of this type can find its origin in either a local environmental health department or an environmental division of a local health department. The first chapter is concerned with a brief presentation of the history of organizations and organizational theory. Chapters two and three give the reader some knowledge of existing departments of this type. Albuquerque's Environmental Health Department and Denver's Environmental Division of the Hospital and Institution Department are the bureaucratic entities discussed. Chapter ii reveals their actual structure, while chapter iii demonstrates the role each entity plays within the local government framework. Chapter iv of this paper contains a proposal for reorganization of local departments concerned with protecting the environment. A generalist oriented environmental team is put forth as the field entity of this organization, A centralized council of specialists provides consultation and complements the team in the field. The proposal is based on Maslow’s idea of "self-actualization." Also support from the writings of McGregor, Golembiewski, Barnard, Argyris, Likert and Kuriloff is used. The fifth chapter presents a conceptualization of the role of the newly reorganized agency in the local bureaucracy. There is a wealth of writing, from many illustrious authors, on the subject of coordination. The Model Cities Program, for one, has been charged with coordinating various agencies in its geographical area. However, no agency has been dealt the responsibility to coordinate throughout the remainder of the city. This thesis proposes that the newly reorganized Environmental Agency be charged with that task. In the sixth and concluding chapter of this paper, a discussion of a pilot project in Albuquerque is presented. The reorganization has been implemented in the Model Cities geographical area of the city. An informal coordinating body of municipal departments and agencies has been established. The sixth chapter is a discussion of many of the proposals of the fourth and fifth chapters put into action.

Degree Name

Public Administration

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

School of Public Administration

First Committee Member (Chair)

Donald Winston Smithburg

Second Committee Member

Patrick Hayes McNamara

Third Committee Member

Albert H. Rosenthal

Language

English

Document Type

Thesis

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