Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Is management an Art, Science or Profession?

Before we prove whether management is an art, science or profession. It is essential to understand the meaning of these terms.
An art is the practical skill and ingenuity of doing specific things to achieve the desired result or objective.In other words, an art is the application of knowledge and skill to do specific things to achieve the desired result or objective. The essential features of art are as follows;
  1. Practical knowledge
  2. Personal skills
  3. Improved through continuous practice
  4. Result oriented approach
  5. Creativity
In this sense, management is an art because it is concerned with the application of management knowledge, Principles, skills and theories to achieve the desired objectives and to solve certain management problem in an organization.
Science is the systematized body of knowledge obtained through observation and experimentation which is tested critically and brought under general principles. Such principles are universally applicable.
The essential features of Science are as follows;
  1. Principles are universally applicable.
  2. Such principles are obtained and developed through scientific observation and experimentation.
  3. Established cause and effect relationship between various actors.
  4. Their validity can be verified and predictable.
Some of the examples of scientific principles are such: Two atoms of Hydrogen and One atom of Oxygen form molecule of water i.e. H2 + O1 = Water. Likewise if something is thrown towards the sky finally it comes down to the earth due to the law of Gravitation.
However, management is not an exact Science like Chemistry, Physics, etc. It is social and behavioral science because it has to deal with the behaviors of human beings and the behavior of human beings are ever changing and cannot be predicted accurately.
Example of art - When a tailor shapes a piece of cloth for a shirt, a goldsmith converse a piece of gold into a ring and a carpenter shapes a log of wood for a table or a chair, each one practices a art or a skill. Behind all these activities, there are certain principles. Such principles are led down by the Scientist in a systematic manner. Such principle can be applied universally.
Profession is an occupation or a job done by a person, which is concerned with rendering personal service of special and expert nature. In order to practice profession, one must have obtained certain academic qualification and training in a related field from the Government recognized professional institution. Similarly, a professional has to follow the ethical code of conduct of an organization.
The essential feature of profession are as follows;
  1. An occupation or a job is done by a person to render personal service of expert and special nature.
  2. Formal education and training from the Government recognized institution.
  3. Code of conduct
  4. Preference of personal service.
For example - In order to become a financial manager, one must have obtained Diploma or Degree with financial management as his/her major field of study. Like wise in order to become human resource manager, one must have passed Diploma with Human Resource Management as his/her major field of study. Sometimes, a minimum period of training and experience may be also fixed for a professional manager.
So, Management is an Art, Science and Profession.

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