Administrative Levels

First, I would like to apologize for not updating our blog more frequently. To be honest I didn't think anyone was reading it. Apparently there are those who are checking our blog, so we're back.Today, I am writing about administrative levels. What do I mean by administrative levels? Within any organization there are different levels or capacities amongst administrators. There are some who are great at administrating a database. There are some who are great at administrating an office or reception area. Again, there are some who are skilled at administrating a program/project, and there are some who are gifted in administrating a department. Policies, churches, organizations, events, and even countries all need to be administrated. The extremes lie at administrating a reception area or database to administrating a country. Different administrators have different capacities. It is similar to a comparison of the Minister of Finance and a financial advisor- both work in finance but at two completely different levels.

One issue which has affected the administrative realm is the use of misconstrued titles. I have seen organizations where administrative assistants are called "administrators". To some these may seem the same, but to those who are knowledgable of these professions they are not identical. An administrator is a professional that you may find in a non-profit organization such as a senior's residence or a hospice. An administrator can be considered a management position (hence the term Administrative Manager). These individuals oversee the complete operations of the facility, including ensuring that the organization is in line with government legislation, overseeing the upkeep of the facilities, managing the organizational budget, etc. Depending on the size of the organization, an administrator may even sit on a board of directors. This is very different from the duties of the administrative assistant. In fact an administrator may some times need an administrative assistant.In hiring an administrative professional, it is important to gage the Administrative Level of the individual. What is their capacity? Are they are an Administrative Manager or administrative support staff? This will dictate the workload you are able to give them. The good news is that individuals can increase their administrative capacity over time through training, shadowing and taking courses; they can grow as administrators and managers.As the JDAS philosophy states, "Ones' organizational growth is determined by the capacity of its administration." Your administration is the skeleton of your organization (body). An investment into the capacity building of your administration is an investment into the growth of your organization at large.

Written Wednesday February 13, 2008