"Administration is a moral act and the administrator is a moral agent." Who made this statement ?

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 1:

The statement, "Administration is a moral act and the administrator is a moral agent," was made by **Ordway Tead**. This statement is a cornerstone of the human relations approach and the ethical perspective in public administration theory. Tead (1891–1973) was a prominent figure who integrated industrial psychology, management theory, and ethical philosophy. He strongly advocated for a shift from the mechanical, efficiency-focused view of administration dominant in the early 20th century to one that recognized the administrator's profound human responsibility. Tead believed that since administrative decisions directly impact the lives, welfare, and dignity of human beings, the act of administering policy cannot be separated from ethical judgment. The administrator, therefore, acts as a moral agent, meaning they are obligated to apply ethical principles and moral values in their decision-making process, moving beyond merely following rules or seeking maximum efficiency. His perspective places morality at the heart of administrative practice, stressing that public service inherently demands virtue and accountability to human values.

The incorrect option is 2:

A. D. Gorwala was a distinguished Indian civil servant and an important voice on public administration and corruption in independent India. He is famous for his reports on public administration, particularly the "Report on Public Administration" (1951), and his strong emphasis on administrative integrity, efficiency, and the battle against corruption. While Gorwala certainly stressed the moral dimensions of the civil service and the need for ethical conduct among administrators, his primary focus was pragmatic reform and combating malpractices within the bureaucratic setup in India. He did not originate the specific, famous theoretical statement linking administration directly to a "moral act" and the administrator as a "moral agent" in the foundational texts of administration theory, which is the context of Tead's quote.

The incorrect option is 3:

F. M. Marx (Fritz Morstein Marx) was a German-American political scientist and public administration scholar known for his broad, comparative, and historical analysis of government and administration. His work is significant for addressing the relationship between bureaucracy and the political system, exploring administration’s cultural roots, and analyzing administrative responsibility within a democratic framework. Marx's contributions are more focused on the socio-political context of bureaucracy and the challenges of integrating administrative power with democratic legitimacy. Although his work touches upon the responsibilities of administrators, the quote regarding the administration being a "moral act" belongs specifically to Ordway Tead's ethical and humanistic school of thought, rather than Marx's comparative institutional analysis.

The incorrect option is 4:

Charles A. Beard was a highly influential American historian and political scientist, best known for his historical analyses, particularly *An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States*. Beard’s work focused heavily on the economic and social forces that shape political institutions and policy. His academic contributions fall primarily within the realm of history and political science, with a focus on historical forces and interpretation, rather than the core theories of public administration ethics or the philosophical role of the administrator as a professional manager. The theoretical and ethical focus inherent in the quote provided is outside the primary domain and well-known contributions of Charles A. Beard.