Decision-Making as a Factor in Politico-Administrative Culture
| Published date | 01 January 2015 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0019556120150110 |
| Author | Ashok Ranjan Basu |
| Date | 01 January 2015 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
DECISION-MAKING AS A FACTOR IN POLITICO-
ADMINISTRATIVE CULTURE
ASHOK RANJAN BASU
Sociologists have long debated whether nature
or
nurture is
the key to what people are and how they act. Administrative
culture, in its broadest sense is understood
as
the modal
pattern
of
values, beliefs, attitudes, and predispositions that
characterise and identify any given administrative system.
The administrative culture
of
any part
of
the globe reflects the
distinctiveness and complexity
of
various regional, national,
and local realities; their unique historical experiences, their
forms
of
insertion. Such cultures are historical products,
where
past
experiences, myths, and traditions have shaped
modal psychological orientations.
Any
administrative culture
is also conditioned
by
existing structural and conjunctional
circumstances and challenges. Decision making is one
of
the most important aspects
of
administration and is greatly
influenced by the prevailing politico- administrative culture
of
the organisation. The interdisciplinary framework
of
decision-
making is one
of
the important aspects
for
any administrator
for
arriving
at
a decision. Though efforts are made to nurture
the personnel system to form a homogeneous group, still the
internalised behaviour pattern and the nature
do
continue.
Besides these, the psychological factors also
play
a great role
on the individual behaviour which affects the decision making
process. The article examines the decision making process as
a factor
of
politico-administrative culture.
THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL concept
of
culture, covers all facets
of
humans
in society: knowledge, behaviour, beliefs, art, morals, law, customs, etc.
(Singer, 1968). Despite some differences
of
emphasis, anthropologists
agree that a culture is the way
of
life
of
a given society. Sociologists have
long debated whether nature (our biological inheritance) or nurture (our
social inheritance) is the key to what people are and how they act. Most
sociologists hold that both are vital in determining individual personality
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and behaviour. Taylor ( 1913) defined culture as "that complex whole which
includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, laws, customs, and many other
capabilities and habits acquired
by
man as a member
of
society". Thus,
Taylor's definition contains three critical components: (i) that complex
whole; (ii) acquired
by
man; and (iii) as a member
of
society. Thus, the
inter-connectedness
of
characteristics that, together, form a culture. Political
culture is defined by the International Encyclopedia
of
the Social Sciences
as "the set
of
attitudes, beliefs and sentiments that give order and meaning
to a political process and which provide the underlying assumptions and
rules that govern behaviour in the political system". It encompasses both
the political ideals and operating norms
of
a polity. Political culture is thus
the manifestation in aggregate form
of
the psychological and subjective
dimensions
of
politics. A political culture is the product
of
both the collective
history
of
a political system and the life histories
of
the members
of
the
system and thus it is rooted equally in public events and private experience".
Administrative culture, in its broadest sense is understood as the modal
pattern
of
values, beliefs, attitudes, and predispositions that characterise and
identify any given administrative system. In this inclusive definition both the
private and public spheres
of
the managerial ethos are covered, for societies
in general possess certain specific ways
of
"getting things done", which
transcend the official sphere. The construction
of
an administrative mind-set
presents significant difficulties. Yet, it is possible to configure clusters
of
cultural matrices that have important heuristic value in understanding the
relationship among contexts, structures, behaviours, and effects (Dwivedi
and Nef, 1998).
Two main perspectives may assist us in understanding the politico-
admin
i
strative
culture
of
an
organisation.
First,
the
government
administration in all nations happens to be larger and more complex than
any single organisation, being composed
of
many departments, agencies,
and corporation and so on. Second, policies and administrative decisions get
implemented through the state apparatils, state financial and other resources
are distributed, and the entire society is affected in many ways by attending
administrative culture. The behaviour
of
the state apparatus depends on
the kind
of
political and administrative culture prevailing in a country.
No
administrative culture is monolithic; instead it
is
part
of
wider culture
of
a
society including its constituent parts such as political, economic, social,
religious, corporate, and civil society cultures. Nevertheless, it
is
the political
culture that influences the administrative culture most because it brings its
political values to modulate the behaviour
of
state employees. A composite
administrative culture reflects the values
of
all constituent parts.
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