Q. Explain Management as a Science and as an Art and as both.
Ans. According to the nature of management, there is a controversy that
whether management is a science or an art. This controversy is very old &
is yet to be settled. It should be noted that, learning process of science is
different from that of art. Learning of science includes principles while
learning of art involves its continuous practice.
Management as a Science Science is a systematic body of knowledge
relating to a specific field of study that contains general facts which
explains a phenomenon. It establishes cause and effect relationship
between two or more variables and underlines the principles governing
their relationship. These principles are developed through scientific method
of observation and verification through testing.
Science is characterized by following main features:
1. Universally accepted principles – Scientific principles represents
basic truth about a particular field of enquiry. These principles may be
applied in all situations, at all time & at all places. E.g. – law of gravitation
which can be applied in all countries irrespective of the time.
Management also contains some fundamental principles which can be
applied universally like the Principle of Unity of Command i.e. one man,
one boss. This principle is applicable to all type of organization – business
or non business.
2. Experimentation & Observation – Scientific principles are derived
through scientific investigation & researching i.e. they are based on logic.
E.g. the principle that earth goes round the sun has been scientifically
proved. Management principles are also based on scientific enquiry &
observation and not only on the opinion of Henry Fayol. They have been
developed through experiments & practical experiences of large no. of
managers.
E.g. it is observed that fair remuneration to personal helps in creating a
satisfied work force.
3. Cause & Effect Relationship – Principles of science lay down cause
and effect relationship between various variables.
E.g. when metals are heated, they are expanded. The cause is heating &
result is expansion.
The same is true for management; therefore it also establishes cause and
effect relationship.
E.g. lack of parity (balance) between authority & responsibility will lead to
ineffectiveness. If you know the cause i.e. lack of balance, the effect can be
ascertained easily i.e. ineffectiveness. Similarly if workers are given bonuses,
fair wages they will work hard but when not treated in fair and just manner,
reduces productivity of organization.
4. Test of Validity & Predictability – Validity of scientific principles can be
tested at any time or any number of times i.e. they stand the time of test.
Each time these tests will give same result. Moreover future events can be
predicted with reasonable accuracy by using scientific principles.
E.g. H2 & O2 will always give H2O.
Principles of management can also be tested for validity.
E.g. principle of unity of command can be tested by comparing two
persons – one having single boss and one having 2 bosses. The
performance of 1st person will be better than 2nd.
It cannot be denied that management has a systematic body of knowledge
but it is not as exact as that of other physical sciences like biology,
physics, and chemistry etc. The main reason for the inexactness of
science of management is that it deals with human beings and it is very
difficult to predict their behaviour accurately. Since it is a social process,
therefore it falls in the area of social sciences. It is a flexible science & that
is why its theories and principles may produce different results at different
times and therefore it is a behaviour science.
Management as an Art
Art means application of knowledge & skill to get the desired results. An art
may be defined as personalized application of general theoretical
principles for achieving best possible results. Art has the following
characters –
Practical Knowledge: Every art requires practical knowledge therefore
learning of theory is not sufficient. It is very important to know practical
application of theoretical principles.
E.g. to become a good painter, the person not only should know about the
different colour and brushes but different designs, dimensions, situations
etc to use them appropriately. A manager can never be successful just by
obtaining degree or diploma in management; he must have also known
how to apply various principles in real situations, by functioning as a
manager.
Personal Skill: Although theoretical base may be same for every artist,
but each one has his own style and approach towards his job. That is why
the level of success and quality of performance differs from one person to
another.
E.g. there are several qualified painters but M.F. Hussain is recognized for
his style. Similarly management as an art is also personalized. Every
manager has his own way of managing things based on his knowledge,
experience and personality, that is why some managers are known as
good managers (like Aditya Birla, Rahul Bajaj) whereas others as bad.
Creativity: Every artist has an element of creativity in line. That is why he
aims at producing something that has never existed before which requires
combination of intelligence & imagination. Management is also creative in
nature like any other art. It combines human and non-human resources in
an useful way so as to achieve desired results. It tries to produce sweet
music by combining chords in an efficient manner.
Perfection through practice: Practice makes a man perfect. Every artist
becomes more and more proficient through constant practice. Similarly
managers learn through an art of trial and error initially but application of
management principles over the years makes them perfect in the job of
managing.
Goal-Oriented: Every art is result oriented as it seeks to achieve concrete
results. In the same manner, management is also directed towards
accomplishment of pre-determined goals. Managers use various resources
like men, money, material, machinery & methods to help in the growth of
an organization.
Thus, we can say that management is an art therefore it requires
application of certain principles rather it is an art of highest order because
it deals with shaping the attitude and behaviour of people at work towards
theS desired goals.
Management as both Science and Art Management is both an art and
a science. The above mentioned points clearly reveal that management
combines features of both science as well as art. It is considered as a
science because it has an organized body of knowledge which contains
certain universal truth. It is called an art because managing requires
certain skills which are personal possessions of managers. Science
provides the knowledge & art deals with the application of knowledge and
skills.
A manager to be successful in his profession must acquire the knowledge
of science & the art of applying it. Therefore management is a well-judged
combination of science as well as an art because it proves the principles
and the way these principles are applied is a matter of art. Science
teaches to ’know’ and art teaches to ’do’. E.g. a person cannot become a
good singer unless he has knowledge about various ragas & he also
applies his personal skill in the art of singing. Same way it is not sufficient
for manager to first know the principles but he must also apply them in
solving various managerial problems that is why, science and art are not
mutually exclusive but they are complementary to each other (like tea and
biscuit, bread and butter etc.). To conclude, we can say that science is the
root and art is the fruit.
