ABSTRACT
Administrative efficiency is supposed to increase with an increase in specialization. The principle of specialization is of no help at all in choosing between the several alternatives. Until administrative description reaches a higher level of sophistication, there is little reason to hope that rapid progress will be made toward the identification and verification of valid administrative principles. Administrative efficiency is supposed to be enhanced by arranging the members of the organization in a determinate hierarchy of authority in order to preserve "unity of command." Administrative efficiency is supposed to be increased by grouping workers according to purpose, process, clientele, or place. What is not so generally recognized is that a contradictory proverb of administration can be stated which, though it is not as familiar as the principle of span of control, can be supported by arguments of equal plausibility.
