classifying phenomena scientists rarely work efficiently with masses of phenomena; therefore, they construct theoretical frameworks for classification. the physical sciences have been successful in developing such conceptual schemes. geologists have developed schemes for classifying rocks, and botanists have devised systems for classifying plants.
an example of a classification scheme in educational administration is the study of organizational climate by andrew halpin and doncroft. using factor analysis, they developed eight dimensions of organizational climate and classified them into six categories: open, autonomous, controlled, familiar, paternal, and closed. another example comes from the work of henry mintzberg. after extensive , structured observation of five executives(one a school superintendent). mintzberg classified managerial activities into ten administrative roles: figurehead, leader, liaison(interpersonal); monitor, disseminator, spokesperson(informational); and entrepreneur, disturbance-handler, resource-allocator, negotiator(decisional). if educational administrators fail to develop theoretical framework for classifying phenomena, they will limit the advancement of knowledge in the field.