Persons or People or Clientele Basis of Departments

Persons or People or Clientele Basis of Departments:

Some departments are organized to serve a body or a class of persons or a section of the community. When departments are organized for looking after a particular group or class of people, the exercise is called the organization of departments on a clientele basis. In every society, there are some persons or groups which have special problems or needs. They need some special services. Refugees, tribals, scheduled castes, and backward classes are examples of such groups. To solve their problems, departments like the Rehabilitation Department, the Tribal Welfare Department, and the Social Welfare Department are formed. These constitute examples of departments organized on the basis of persons or clientele.

Merits of Person or Clientele Basis:

Departments may be created to serve the needs of a group or body of persons or a section of the community.  These persons may also serve as the basis of departments. In India, the “Ministry of Rehabilitation” is an example of such a department. The following are the merits of the Clientele Basis of the Department:

(1) When a department is organized on the basis of persons served, all activities concerning that section of the community can be coordinated and integrated.

(2) Since one department looks after the needs of one group or section of society, its problem can be easily understood and efficiently solved.

(3) It simplifies the relationship of the groups concerned with the administration. For example, the Ministry of Rehabilitation is concerned with the refugee problem. Refugees can directly go to this department for getting their problems solved.

(4) The group or the section of society for whom the department works can secure a better utilization of the services of the department.

Demerits of Person or Clientele Basis:

(1) It is not easy to define the proper jurisdiction of such departments.

(2) It can lead to a multiplicity of departments. Each department, in order to serve, its clientele more and more, can get involved in an unhealthy competition/struggle with other departments.

(3) Such departments are multi-functional and hence their personnel fail to be specialists.

(4) Departments based on clientele basis are often forced to change their policies and actions under the pressure exerted by interest groups.

As such, the Person/Clientele Basis of departmental organization has several merits as well as demerits.