This book is the third in a set of three study guides designed to help students of educational administration critically analyze contemporary theory in the field, examine the field from a new viewpoint, and develop their own, more practical knowledge base. The first of the volume's three sections, by John Codd, explores the notion that administration is philosophy in action. The section argues that dichotomies between facts and values, observations and interpretations, and practice and theory cannot be sustained, and that the technological view based on such dichotomies must be rejected. Instead, administrative action should combine both executive and critical-reflective dimensions. The second section, by John Clark, considers the ways in which different approaches to decision making relate to practical situations in which any decision will cause conflict. The practical value of a critical theory approach is illustrated. The third section, by Richard Bates, describes the impact of bureaucratization on educational administration and on social endeavors in general, and calls for the demystification of organizations and the democratization of education. Each section offers recommended readings and activities and provides a list of references. A postscript by Laurie Rattray-Wood reviews the basic goals of the study guide series. (PGD)