ASSIGNMENT

MANAGEMENT

An Art or Science

ASSIGNED BY:

Sir KANWAR SALEEM.

PREPARED BY:

MUHAMMAD ASIF MEHMOOD

2K7-ch.E-114
One of the enduring questions in the field of management is whether it is an art or a science.

Management has got two faces like a coin; on one side it is art and on the other it is science.
Management has got scientific principles which constitute the element of science and skill and talent
which are the attributes of art. Management skills are acquired by constant practice as in the case of
medicine, engineering, accountancy; mere knowledge of concepts will not fetch results; understanding
human behavior, tactfulness, vision, pragmatism, creativity, compassion towards staff, team spirit are all
needed by a successful manager for effective management. Science and arts are not mutually exclusive
but complementary to each other. therefore management is both science and arts.

Different sources justify it with different reasons.

Webster's College Dictionary defines an art as:

“Skill in conducting any human activity"

And science as:

"Any skill or technique that reflects a precise application of facts or a principle."

Reflected in the differences in these definitions is the use of precision in science, in that there is a
particular, prescribed way in which a manager should act. Thus, management as a science would indicate
that in practice, managers use a specific body of information and facts to guide their behaviors, but that
management as an art requires no specific body of knowledge, only skill. Conversely, those who believe
management is an art are likely to believe that there is no specific way to teach or understand
management, and that it is a skill borne of personality and ability. Those who believe in management as
an art are likely to believe that certain people are more predisposed to be effective managers than are
others, and that some people cannot be taught to be effective managers. That is, even with an
understanding of management research and an education in management, some people will not be
capable of being effective practicing managers.

MANAGEMENT AS AN ART PERSPECTIVE

In general sense, management is the art of handling the different aspects of the organization. The word
Manage is taken from Italian word "Maneggiare" means to handle, especially to handle or train horses.
Here management refers to an Art because managing or training horses is not a science or profession.
Managing originally used to indicate other process for managing, training or directing. Management has
been called other art of getting things done through people.

Art uses known rules and principles and uses the skill, expertise, wisdom experience to achieve the
desired results. Effective management is extracting voluntary cooperation from the staff. So it is definitely
an art and it can be acquired by practicing the theoretical knowledge skillfully and prudently.

Practicing managers who believe in management as an art are unlikely to believe that scientific principles
and theories will be able to implement in actual managerial situations. Instead, these managers are likely
to rely on the social and political environment surrounding the managerial issue, using their own
knowledge of a situation, rather than generic rules, to determine a course of action. For example, as a
contrast to the example given previously, a manager who has a problem with an employee's poor work
performance is likely to rely on his or her own experiences and judgment when addressing this issue.
Rather than having a standard response to such a problem, this manager is likely to consider a broad
range of social and political factors, and is likely to take different actions depending on the context of the
problem.

Managers do not sit at their desks, thinking, evaluating, and deciding all day long, working for long,
uninterrupted time periods. They are engaged in very fragmented work, with constant interruptions and
rare opportunities to quietly consider managerial issues. Management requires more than a mastery of
techniques and skills; instead, it also requires that managers understand individuals and their motivations
and help them achieve their goals. Managers are motivators and facilitators of others.

THE MANAGEMENT AS A SCIENCE PERSPECTIVE

Science is a collection of systematic, collection of truths and interference after continuous study and
experiments. The relationship between Variables and Limits are defined and the Fundamental Principles
discovered.

Science has got three specific characters:

1. It is systematic and organized knowledge and based on scientific methods of observation.

2. Interferences are arrived after continuous observation and experiments.

3. It has logical principles which are well defined and are universally applicable without any
limitations.

Management Principles have also evolved and are changing day by day according to human behavior. In
science keeping one factor as variable and all other as constants the same experiment is repeated many
times in order to arrive at a conclusion; but management involves human element and hence all the
factors are widely varying.

Practicing managers who believe in management as a science are likely to believe that there are ideal
managerial practices for certain situations. That is, when faced with a managerial dilemma, the manager
who believes in the scientific foundation of his or her craft will expect that there is a rational and objective
way to determine the correct course of action. This manager is likely to follow general principles and
theories and also by creating and testing hypotheses. For instance, if a manager has a problem with an
employee's poor work performance, the manager will look to specific means of performance
improvement, expecting that certain principles will work in most situations. He or she may rely on
concepts learned in business school or through a company training program when determining a course
of action, perhaps paying less attention to political and social factors involved in the situation.