“For greater productivity, work should be divided into small tasks and each employee should be trained to perform his/her specialized job. This principle is applicable to a government office where there is a diary/dispatch clerk whose job is to receive and send mail or documents, a data entry operator whose task is to input data on the computer, a peon and an officer etc”. Identify the nature of Principles of Management:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Universal applicability
Option (1) General guidelines — Incorrect. This feature says the principles guide action but do not give ready-made solutions to every problem. The example in the question does not show that.
Option (2) Contingent — Incorrect. Contingent means the principles must be applied according to the situation. That is not the point of the example.
Option (3) Universal applicability — Correct. Universal applicability means the principles of management apply to all types of organisations: business and non-business, small and large, public and private. Division of work was developed for business firms. Yet the same principle works in a government office, where the dispatch clerk, the data entry operator, the peon and the officer each do their own special job.
Option (4) Mainly behavioural — Incorrect. This feature says the principles aim to influence human behaviour. The example is about where a principle can be applied, not about behaviour.
NCERT (2026-27 Edition): “Universal applicability: The principles of management are intended to apply to all types of organisations, business as well as non-business, small as well large, public sector as well as private sector, manufacturing as well as the services sectors. However, the extent of their applicability would vary with the nature of the organisation, business activity, scale of operations and the like. For example, for greater productivity, work should be divided into small tasks and each employee should be trained to perform his/her specialised job. This principle is applicable to a government office where there is a diary/despatch clerk whose job is to receive and send mail or documents, a data entry operator whose task is to input data on the computer, a peon and an officer etc. …” |