The other “papers on the science of administration”: a search for common themes

Daniel Martin

International Journal of Public Administration, 1998, vol. 21, issue 2-4, 275-298

Abstract: The Papers on the Science of Administration are almost exclusively Gown for the opening and closing articles by Luther Gulick. This article explores the intervening nine articles to test some of Gulick's assertions about them. First, despite Gulick's somewhat unclear claim to the contrary, the “other” papers did not present many unfamiliar arguments to impress informed readers. Second, despite Gulick's explicit claim, the articles offered little consensus except on the most general and unusable “principles” of administration. Third, there were hints throughout the papers that the “principles” approach to management was collapsing because of the vague but indispensable issue of leadership. Hence, the “other” papers are neglected because they never offered the emerging consensus that Gulick promised.

Date: 1998
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DOI: 10.1080/01900699808525306

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