Papers on the Science of Administration: POSDCORB In essence, POSDCORB, which denotes the typical administrative process, is used in reference to planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating, reporting, and budgeting (Espy and Guy, 2017). The acronym was originally suggested and developed by Luther Gulick and Lyndall Urwick. While planning has got to do with the formulation of a broad outline of the various objectives that ought to be accomplished and the diverse approaches to be adopted in this endeavor, organizing largely relates to “the establishment of the formal structure of authority through which work subdivisions are arranged, defined and co-ordinated for the defined objective” (Gulick and Urwick, 2004, p. 13). On the other hand, as the authors further point out, staffing involves the recruitment of staff, the development of their capabilities, as well as the maintenance of working conditions that are favorable for the accomplishment of set objectives.

Next, we have directing, which the authors term as the ongoing decision making task that seeks to clearly define instructions and orders – with the leader playing the guiding function. While coordinating has got to do with the development as well as sustenance of connections between various tasks, reporting...

13). Lastly, we have budgeting, which according to Gulick and Urwick (2004) involves undertakings such as accounting and fiscal planning.
In seeking to advance this particular topic, the authors were largely seeking to highlight the key roles of the chief executive (Meeks, 2015). It is important to note that in an increasingly complex world, the chief executive is inundated with multiple duties and obligations – some of which are urgent and important for the seamless performance of the system. In essence, the chief executive may not be expected to handle all matters that require his attention. This is where delegation comes in. On this front, therefore, the chief executive is left to handle only the selected roles that, as Gulick and Urwick (2004) point out, are the “functional elements of the work of the chief executive”(13). As a matter of fact, the authors refer to these roles as the executive’s subdivisions.

One of the limitations of this approach to the study of public administration is its inherent rigidity. This…