Administration vs Management

“Administration” and “management” are used interchangeably in everyday speech, but the literature distinguishes between them. Administration sets objectives and policies; management puts those policies and plans into practice. The distinction is not a hard rule, but understanding it clarifies the two kinds of work involved in running a school.

The terms are often interchangeable

Educational administration and educational management are often used as synonyms. Both involve getting things done in an organised way to reach targets. But the concepts can be pulled apart for clarity.

In everyday usage in many regions, “administration” and “management” are interchangeable. A school’s “admin office” handles management work. A school “management” handles administrative work.

A useful distinction can still be drawn. It is not a hard rule, and many writers use the terms differently. But the distinction itself is worth knowing.

The classical distinction

The classical distinction is as follows.

Function

Administration sets up the objectives and key policies of the organisation. Management is the act of putting those policies and plans into practice.

In this distinction:

1. Administration sets policy. What will we do? What are our goals? What are our boundaries?
2. Management executes policy. How do we do what has been decided? How do we make the goals happen?

This maps roughly to the leadership-management distinction, but with different terminology. Administration sits closer to leadership (direction-setting); management sits closer to execution.

Type

Administration is a determinative function. Management is an executive function.

Administration determines. Management executes. Different kinds of work.

Where each is found

Administrators are mainly found in government, military, religious, and educational organisations. Management, on the other hand, is the word used in business enterprises.

This is a historical observation. The word “administration” has traditionally been used in non-profit and public organisations. The word “management” has been used in business.

The distinction has eroded over time. Modern schools talk about both administration and management. Modern businesses sometimes use the word “administration”.

What they handle

Administration handles the business aspects. Management deals with employees.

In this distinction:

1. Administration deals with structural and strategic matters. Budget, policy, structure, external relations.
2. Management deals with people. Hiring, motivating, evaluating, developing.

Level

Administration is top-level work: owners who invest capital and receive returns. Management is a middle-level activity: a group of managerial people who apply their specialist skills to meet the organisation’s objectives.

Administration is the senior leadership work. Management is the middle layer that executes.

In a school: the board and the principal do administration. The deputy heads, coordinators, and department heads do management.

Core activities

Administration is planning and organising. Management is motivating and controlling.

In this distinction:

1. Administration plans and organises. The forward-looking and structural work.
2. Management motivates and controls. The people-focused and oversight work.

This maps loosely to two of the four management functions covered earlier. The distinction is not clean in practice.

How to read the distinction

The distinction above is one of several. Other writers map the terms differently.

For practical purposes, the key insights are:

1. There are two kinds of work in running an organisation. One sets direction and policy; the other executes.
2. Both kinds of work are needed. Direction without execution is fantasy. Execution without direction is busywork.
3. The same person often does both. A school principal does both administration and management in this distinction.
4. The labels matter less than the distinction. Whether you call the two kinds of work “administration and management” or “leadership and management” or “direction and execution”, recognising the difference is what matters.

Why this distinction matters

Three practical implications for a school principal.

Recognise both kinds of work

A principal’s job includes both administration (setting direction, making policy, planning) and management (executing, supervising, developing). She must do both, even if she has natural inclination toward one.

A principal who only does administration produces policies that do not get implemented. A principal who only does management runs operations without clear direction.

Use the right kind of work for the situation

Some moments need administration. Setting the year’s priorities. Adopting a new policy. Making a strategic decision. These need the determinative work.

Other moments need management. Implementing the year’s priorities. Following through on the policy. Executing the strategic decision. These need the executive work.

A principal who treats every moment as the same kind of work uses the wrong tools. Recognising which kind of work the moment needs improves the response.

Build a team that covers both

A principal who is strong on administration but weak on management should hire a deputy strong on management. The complementary skills build a school that is both well-directed and well-executed.

A school with both kinds of work covered (whether by one person or by a team) is well-run. A school with only one kind covered has predictable weaknesses.

A practical synthesis

For a school principal, the practical synthesis is:

1. Don’t worry too much about the terms. “Administration” and “management” often overlap in usage; insisting on the textbook distinction can produce confusion.
2. Hold both kinds of work in view. Direction-setting and execution. Strategic and operational. Determinative and executive.
3. Allocate time to both. A principal who spends all her time on operations cannot direct the school. A principal who spends all her time on strategy cannot ensure execution.
4. Build a team that covers both. Particularly important as the school grows.

A principal who internalises this thinks of her work in both modes simultaneously. The administrative work shapes what the management work is for. The management work ensures the administrative work becomes reality.

Flashcard

What is the classical distinction between administration and management?

Tap to reveal

Answer

Administration sets direction and policy; management executes.

Dimension	Administration	Management
Function	Set objectives and policies	Execute policies and plans
Type	Determinative	Executive
Level	Top (board, principal)	Middle (deputies, coordinators)
Core activities	Planning, organising	Motivating, controlling
Found in	Government, military, religious, education	Business

A second flashcard captures the practical reason a principal must do both.

Flashcard

Why must a school principal do both administration and management?

Tap to reveal

Answer

Direction without execution is fantasy; execution without direction is busywork.

A principal who only sets policy produces unimplemented plans. A principal who only manages operations loses strategic direction. The two kinds of work need each other.