ABSTRACT
This chapter examines what people mean when they say that one organization or procedure is better than another. It details some of the criteria of efficiency and responsibility. In expressing judgments about administrative programs, the chapter considers evaluation into two parts: the extent of the agreement or disagreement with the values that the plan seeks to attain or maximize; and the judgment of how efficacious the plan will actually be in attaining these values. There has been much confusion in the literature of public administration arising out of the fact that many writers in this field fail to state explicitly the values in terms of which they are judging the rationality of particular decisions or programs. The extent to which administrators and employees do, or do not, treat work as a neutral means has important implications for the equilibrium of the organization.
