Management: an art or a science

·        

Management as an art:  to perform a job in the best possible way is art.  it decides the method of doing a thing and tells us how to achieve our objectives.  Art is an individual process because every artist has is own way of doing things.  In reality, art is a creative process and its success can be measured by the result achieved by the artist.  The manufacture of furniture by a carpenter and ornaments by a goby a goldsmith are examples of art.  Art can be improved with the help of continuous practice.  Some scholars have given the following definition of the art:

   

 According to G.R.TERRY ,”Art is bringing about of a desired result through application of skill”

Characteristics of the art:

1.      Personal skill:  in this context management is an art because in order to achieve the objectives of an organization, the manager makes use of his personal skill to overcome all the obstacles hindering the way of successful attainment of the objectives of the organization.  Thinking and taking decision are important in the work of management and these +qualities are found in varying degree among different managers.  Consequently, their style of getting work out of other people is also different. The quality of the personal skill being a characteristic of art is present in case of the management.

2.      Practical knowledge:  art point towards practical knowledge and is related with its actual application. Management is also practical knowledge. In business the importance of a manager is known from the fact of his applying the principals of management efficiently and effectively. The amount and extent of knowledge of the principles of management that a manager possesses is not of much value.  Performance of managerial functions requires a manager to have the power of making decision, efficient conduct and quality of leadership.

3.      Concrete result oriented approach:  the basis of art is the attainment of meaningful results.  In this context management also consists of the same concepts because management is also concerned with the achievement of realizing objectives.  For management meaningful results are getting maximum profit with the minimum of investment and labor; achieving the objectives of production and sales; ensuring appropriate profit on capital; etc. The success of a manager is determined by the fact that how efficiently and economically he has the pre determined objectives of the organization.

4.      Development through practice; just as art can be embellished with the help of practice, in the same way managerial skill also improves with practice.  Every manager has a desire to become a complete expert in his field.  He can fulfill his desire by continuous practice.  A fully developed manager not only, moulds the organization according to the changing circumstances but also has the capacity to change the outer circumstances according to his will.  Thus, management possesses this characteristic of art too.

5.      Creating power:  art possesses the inherent power of creativity.  Similarly management has the quality of creative art.  In management the work is completed by motivating other people and establishing coordination between their objectives is to create an atmosphere in which all people can perform their function efficiently. 

        Management as a science

 After having accepted the nature of management as an art, it remains to be seen whether it a science or not.  Before accepting or rejecting the claim of management to be considered as a science it is important to understand the meaning of science.

  Science is that systematic body of knowledge which man has acquired on the basis of observation and experiments and verification of this knowledge is possible.  The chief difference between art and science that under art we come to acquire the knowledge of how to accomplish something.  In other words what is the system of realizing the pre determined objectives?  Science on the other hand, tells us why is being done?  In other words, what is the secret of laying down of principles. Some chief definition of science is given below:

According to Keynes, ”science is a systematised body of knowledge which establishes relationship between cause and effect.”

1.      SYSTEMISED BODY OF KNOWLEDGE:  it is necessary for science to be a systematized body of knowledge, management is also a systematized body of knowledge because it come to be recognized after years of research and experimentation by management experts.

2.      Based on collection of facts, analysis and experiments:  after applying this characteristic of science to management we find that development of management took years for the collection of facts, their analysis and experiments.  In other words, management came into existence because of the continuous and encouraging labour of the theorists and various people concerned.

3.      Universal application: scientific principles are based on truth and they can be applied at every time in every situation.  Thus, its universal application is possible.  In the field of the management too, managerial knowledge and principals of management are considered to be based on truth and they, too, can be applied any where and in every situation.

4.      Cause and effective relationship: scientific principles always explain the relationship between cause and effect.  When its applied to management we come to know that the principles of management also establish this relationship between cause and effect. For example. Poor planning and the principle of distribution of work explain the correct or proper distribution as the cause and increase in efficiency as the result. In this way, we find these characteristics of science in management.

5.      Verification of the validity and prediction of results possible: more collection of knowledge and facts is not science. For science validity and prediction of results is important. The validity of the principal of management can also verified and result can be predicted on application of any special principal. Thus, the principal of management, like the principal of unity of command when put to practice tells us that a subordinate who gets commands from more than one officer to give him command will be more efficient than the other subordinate who gets commands from more than one officer. on the other hand, because of the relationship between cause and effect.  The possible results of the application of any principle can be predicted. For example, the application of the principle of the unity of command gives us the knowledge of possible results.

           On the strength of the above mentioned facts it can be said that management has both the characteristics of art and science, but it cannot be classified as a science of the nature of physics and chemistry.  He science of management is related to human beings and their conduct is subject to constant changes.  In other hand, the subject matter of management is man who jis an intelligent and sensitive being and whose behavior or conduct changes according to the changing situations.  Therefore no permanent principle like the principle of physics and chemistry can be enunciated in relation to his conduct or behavior.   That is why, the science of management, like all other social sciences is based on available situations and its results can never be permanent like the result of physics and the chemistry.  Clearly the science of management cannot be called a true science but it should be described as an applied science whose principles are subject to change according to time, situation and the nature of a man.