Is Management ART or SCIENCE?

Is Management ART or
SCIENCE

It’s an Art

The question of whether
management is an art or
science is quite old.
When viewed as an art,
management is
remarkable, but natural
expression of human
behavior. It is intuitive,
creative and flexible.

Managers are leaders
and artists who are able
to develop unique
alternatives and novel
ideas about their
organizations needs.
They are attuned to
people and events
around them and learn
to anticipate the
turbulent twists and
turns around them.

However, artistry in
management is neither
exact nor precise. Artists
interpret experience and
express it in forms that
can be felt, understood
and appreciated by
others. Art allows for
emotion, subtlety and
ambiguity. An artist
frames the world so that
others can see new
possibilities.

Science is extraordinary.
It is a method of doing
things. It is the
organized systematic
expertise that gathers
knowledge about the
world and condenses
the knowledge into
testable laws and
principles. When science
is done correctly, it can
advice us in all of our day
to day decisions and
actions.

Management is basically
an art which can be
made efficient by
scientific methods. The
artistic talents of the
manager can be
enriched by the usage of
scientific tools. However
as the famous quote “A
fool with a tool is still a
fool ”, the artist in any
manager definitely has
an edge. His creativity
and productivity can be
magnified by using the
correct scientific
methods.

The art of management
existed long before
automation. Without
doubt, the science has
made the management
easier. But focusing only
on the science may lead
to shift of focus of the
entire team and create
overheads. Success of
managers depends on
how effectively they can
use the scientific aid to
enhance their artistic
skills.

It’s a Science

Einstein said: “Intellect…
has…no personality, it
cannot lead, it can only
serve ”
From the original five
dimensions
(inconsistently referred
to throughout the book
as dimensions, domains
or abilities – the use of
the word "abilities" will
be utilized for this
review), the authors
have simplified these
into four:

1. Self-awareness
2. Self-management
3. Social awareness
4. Relationship
management

All four are closely
related and build on the
preceding ability, but it
begins with self-
awareness. Self-
awareness helps us
recognize emotions in
others. Good, resonant
leaders have the ability
to manage their own
emotions to do and say
the appropriate things at
the appropriate time.
Possessing a social
awareness – being
aware of how others feel
individually or in a group
– creates empathy,
which is crucial for
relationship
management.

The four abilities have
been defined into 18
competences. The
authors argue that these
competences are not
innate talents, but
learned abilities. From
the four abilities and the
18 competences, people
can identify their own
abilities and
competences. The
authors have found that
no leader has an across-
the-board set but, rather,
a critical mass of a
selection of abilities or
competences.

Management is a set of
activities (including
planning and decision
making, organizing,
leading, and controlling)
directed at an
organization's resources
(human, financial,
physical, and
information) with the
aim of achieving
organizational goals in
an efficient and effective
manner. A manager is
someone whose primary
responsibility is to carry
out the management
process within an
organization. The
effective practice of
management requires a
synthesis of science and
art; that is, a blend of
rational objectivity and
intuitive insight. Good
management is a
mixture of art and
science.

Management as an Art is
a practice that has been
followed for ages
(donkey ’s years!) by
many noble-beings
(were they called
managers in the early
era??) and has been
unremitting since
then...maybe the style
has changed but the
objective hasn't. Being
an art, its practice to
perfection was one of
the most essential
feature (sine-qua-non)
that everyone was
looking at. However, due
to efflux of time, many
realized that it wasn't
important to be perfect
BUT necessary to be
excellent. If you aren't
excellent, u better take a
jump!

Management as a
Science always had (and
continues to have) a
'Cause & Effect'
relationship that has
been practiced (did I say
preached?) for time
immemorial (well, still
being very well practiced
and preached in many
companies!) inorder to
enable people to
perform better
(hopefully!) and
understand the
quantification (many-a-
times distorted!) behind
their performance. I
guess, time has come for
us to realize the
importance of
management BOTH as an
art and science and to
appreciate its co-
existence within an
organization.