History and scholarship
Classic administrative theory includes Fayol's (1916) five functions and Weber's (1922) bureaucracy. Gulick (1937) summarised POSDCORB, Barnard (1938) saw organisations as cooperative systems, Simon (1947) analysed administrative decision-making, and Mintzberg (1979) distinguished support staff.
What the job involves
Office and facility management, purchasing and contracts, events and benefits, documents and seals, security and safety; often combined with bookkeeping in SMEs. Scope and required skills vary by company and industry; check actual job postings and NCS job descriptions.
Hiring and careers
Computer Literacy certs support applications; quantifying cost and asset work builds a career.
FAQ
- Is it just chores?
- Look for contract, asset and cost tasks.
- Versus HR?
- HR focuses on people processes.
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26
References
- Weber, M. (1922). Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft. J. C. B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck).
- Fayol, H. (1916). Administration industrielle et générale. Dunod.
- Gulick, L. (1937). Notes on the theory of organization. In L. Gulick & L. Urwick (Eds.), Papers on the Science of Administration. Institute of Public Administration.
- Barnard, C. I. (1938). The Functions of the Executive. Harvard University Press.
- Simon, H. A. (1947). Administrative Behavior. Macmillan.
- Mintzberg, H. (1979). The Structuring of Organizations. Prentice-Hall.
- 국가직무능력표준(NCS). https://www.ncs.go.kr
- 고용24 직업정보(고용노동부·한국고용정보원). https://www.work24.go.kr