Administrative Elements
Activities that are cooperative in nature cover a very broad field where cooperation is always inherent in human activities according to The Liang Gie called administration is; "The entire implementation process in every cooperative effort of a group of people to achieve certain goals". From the definition of The Liang Gie we get three elements of administration consisting of:
Activities involve two or more people
Activities carried out together
There are certain goals to be achieved.
The three elements are closely related to each other and integrated. If one of them does not exist, the activity cannot be called administration.
Relationship between Meanings and Administrative Definitions
Even with different wording, all the definitions mentioned above have the same core, which is to view administration as a type of activity, work activity, action or business. But the activities carried out are not only one kind but constitute a series of activities.
So, in fact administration can be seen as a series, but it can also be seen as a thought process. So broad was the field covered by the term administration, that Robert was prestigious to the point that the scope of other social sciences was due to cooperation in every aspect of life.
Branches of Administrative Sciences
In general, administrative science is divided into two major branches namely: state administration and commercial administration. The difference between these two branches of science lies in the focus of discussion or object of study.
State Administration
State administration has many definitions, which generally can be divided into two categories. First, the definition that sees the state administration is only within the executive. And second, the definition that looks at the scope of state administration includes all branches of government and matters relating to the public.
There is an interactive relationship between state administration and its social environment. Among the various elements of the social environment, the cultural element is the element that most influences the performance of the state administration.
Growth History of State Administration
From the description above it can be concluded, that there is a historical rope that assembles the development of the state administration. What has been achieved and given by the present state administration is inseparable from the tireless efforts made by the founding fathers and former administrative formers. Modern administration is full of efforts to put more pressure on public office in order to present all its activities to realize prosperity and serve the public interest. Therefore, state administration is not seen as "of the public" administration, but instead is "for the public" administration.
This idea is actually not new. This kind of orientation has been clearly stated in the teachings of Confucius and in Pericles "Funeral Speeches", even in the life of the ancient Egyptians. Historical evidence clearly proves systematic efforts, which were fomented by figures such as Cicero and Casiodorus. During the 16th - 18th century the establishment of the German and Austrian state administrative institutions had been set up by the Kameralists who saw administration as technology. State administration also received important attention in America, especially after this country became independent.
What stated by Cicero in De Officiis for example, can be found in the public code of ethics of the old kingdoms. The common thing that arises among them is the hope that the state administration carries out activities in the public interest and always develops people's prosperity. In other words, the state administration should not dredge their office pockets (corruption) for their own sake
Modern State Administration Approach
The evolutionary development of state administration is described through traditional approaches, behavioral approaches, decision making approaches (desisional) and ecological approaches. Specifically, the traditional approach reveals the influence of political science, as the mother of state administration, the rational approach to administration and the influence of the Scientific Management Movement on the development of state administration.
Among the four proposed approaches, there is no one approach that is superior to the other approaches, because every approach triumphs at one time, in addition to the awareness that each approach has advantages and disadvantages.
Because administration contains various disciplines, so the approach and methodology in administration is also diverse, so state administration is a dynamic field of study. Furthermore it is difficult to specifically apply the single best approach to certain aspects of administration. It would be more useful to use all four methods according to the accentuation of the observed symptoms.
Political influence on the state administration is always great, no matter what the time. This is caused by symptoms in all countries which indicate that each government is composed of three branches of government (legislative, executive and judiciary).
The ongoing relationship between administration and politics reflects the continuing relationship between the executive and the legislature, as reflected in the two stages of government, namely the political stage and the administration stage. If the first stage is the stage of policy formulation, then the second stage is the stage of implementing policies that have been determined in the first stage.