EXECUTIVE ORGANIZATION OF A PARK DEPARTMENT 545 



department may carry special lists from which part time workers can be 

 drawn whenever needed or a special arrangement may be made whereby 

 the appointing authority in the park and recreation organization may 

 appoint such workers directly. 



The superintendent and his department heads. From the time of employ- 

 ment there is a more or less constant contact between the employees and 

 the superintendent. The most intimate contact will naturally be between 

 the superintendent and the heads of the various functional divisions into 

 which the department is organized. Just as the superintendent receives his 

 general and specific instructions from the governing authority, so he in turn 

 must determine the policies and plans for the organization and conduct of 

 the executive work through his subordinates. These may be embodied in 

 general rules and regulations promulgated by him for their guidance, in 

 written orders issued from time to time, and in verbal instructions. 



Just as the governing authority should not concern itself with the inti- 

 mate details of executive activity, so the capable executive will not attempt 

 to follow every detail of the work of his subordinates. Every chief subordi- 

 nate should be judged primarily by the results of his work, so long as his 

 methods square with general policies. Every chief subordinate should feel 

 that he will have the chance to use what originality, initiative, resourceful- 

 ness and knowledge he has. Every man, no matter how limited his capacity, 

 likes to feel himself a creator. His dignity and self-respect depend upon 

 possessing this feeling. His interest and enthusiasm are based upon this. 

 Any superintendent who meddles constantly with the intimate details of 

 the work of his chief assistants not only renders himself incapable of func- 

 tioning efficiently in the larger phases of executive administration, but at 

 the same time destroys the spirit of his organization. To do this is the sure 

 sign of an executive of small capacity. Assistants to chiefs of divisions should 

 be required to look to their chiefs for instructions and for supervision, and 

 not to the chief executive or superintendent. However, it is wise for the 

 superintendent from time to time to keep an eye on the efficiency ratings 

 and actual efforts of employees of all grades in positions requiring the 

 exercise of skill with a view to discovering individuals of capacity for larger 

 responsibilities. 



One of the major executive problems of the superintendent will be the 

 maintenance of harmonious working relationships among the heads of the 

 several functional divisions of the executive organization. While each 

 separate division represents a special type of service, or types of services, 

 each division is somehow related to every other division and there will be 

 absolute necessity for close cooperation among them. This question of 

 cooperative relationships is so fundamental that it is sometimes made the 



