THE WORKING DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND PRIVATE ADMINISTRATION OR PRIVATE MANAGEMENT Background Operationally, researchers have identified numerous distinctions between the words of public administration and private administration or (private management). These differences pertain to task environments, organisational missions, structural constraints and personal values. More specifically, relatives to private managers, public administrators, must deal with more complexes, less stable and less competitive organizationally penetrating environmental forces. Organizationally, the public sectors' goals are more distinctive, more numerous, and less autonomy. Finally, public administrators themselves are less materialistic, less loyal to their organisations, and more committed to serving the public interest and facilitating social change. In fact, public administration is consistent in procedure and uniform in dealings with the public. The official has to have a settle line of policy and to stick to it. He cannot show favour to some people and disfavour to others. A private administration need not worry very much about uniformity in treatment. Public and private administrators also differ on the principle of public relations. This principle has been borrowed by public administration from the business world where it was first developed as a method of winning customers. Questions 1. Why is it that in Public Administration, public officials maintain hidden identities? (15 marks) 2. Explain why the motive of private administration is profit making, while public administration is non-profit making? (13 marks)