The concept of management is universal
and very old. That is why different views have been expressed about its
nature by different writers from time to time. The continuous and
rapid development of management principles and practices in
organization has changed the nature of management. The main points of
view about the nature of management are given below:
Management as an Inborn or Acquired Ability
In the pre-scientific management period,
i.e., prior to 1880 there has been a leading concept that management
is an inborn ability. It is a traditional approach. The supporters of
this concept believe that the hereditary characteristics, inborn
talents and natural aptitudes of a man make him an efficient manager.
Some people are so efficient and talented since their birth that they
lead and get success in the field of business. To our mind, this
concept was used when the ownership and management were not separated.
But later on the researches and development in the field of science,
technology and training etc. changed this old concept. Today management
is considered not only as an inborn ability but also as an acquired
ability. In the words of Ordway Tead, "Managers are both born and
made." Today, in large-sized business organizations, ownership and
management are separate identities. The management lies in the hands of
professional managers who are educated and trained. Thus, now the
management can be considered as an acquired ability.
Management as an Art, Science or Both
A lot of controversy arises whether
management is an art or science or both. It is said that the management
is the oldest of arts and youngest of science. This explains the
changing nature of management. But to have an exact answer to this
question, it is necessary to understand both these aspects separately
and combinedly, as given below:
Management as an Art:
Art refers to the way
of doing specific things; it indicates how an object can be achieved.
In the words of George R. Terry, "Art is bringing about of a desired
result through the application of skill." Art is, thus, skilful
application of knowledge which entirely depends on the inherent
capacity of a person which comes from within a person and is learned
from practice and experience. In this sense, management is certainly an
art as a manager uses his skill, knowledge and experience in solving
various problems, both complicated and non-complicated that arise in
the working of his enterprise successful. In the words of Ernest Dale,
"Management is considered as an art rather than science mainly because
managerial skill is a personnel possession and is intuitive."
Management as a Science:
Science may be
described as a systematized body of knowledge based on proper findings
and exact principles and is capable of verification. It is a reservoir
of fundamental truths and its findings apply safely in all the
situations. In this sense, management is a science as it has also
developed some systematized knowledge. Like other sciences, management
has also developed certain principles, laws, generalization, which are
universal in nature and are applicable wherever the efforts of the
people are to be coordinated. But management is not as exact science as
other physical sciences like physic, chemistry, biology, astronomy
etc. The main reason for the inexactness of science of management is
that it deals with the people and it is very difficult to predict their
behavior accurately. In this way, management falls in the area of
'social sciences'. Thus, it is a social science.
Conclusion- Management is an Art and Science Both
From the above study, we conclude that
management is an art and science both. According to American Society of
Mechanical Engineers. "Management is the art and science of preparing,
organizing and directing human efforts to control the forces and
utilize the material of nature for the benefit of men. "Thus, it has
now been accepted that management is an art as well as science. It has
the elements of both arts and science. In the words of Dean Stanley,
"Management is a mixture of an art an science - the present ratio is
about 80% art and 20% science."
0 comments:
Post a Comment