What is management? What do managers do? How do I manage?

These are standard questions that most of us in the management profession have been asked more than once. And questions we asked once in our careers too. Here, then, is a basic look at management, a primer, anagement !"! from m# perspective. Art and Science anagement is both art and science. It is the art of making people more effective than the# would have been without #ou. The science is in how #ou do that. There are four basic pillars$ plan, organi%e, direct, and monitor. Make Them More Effective &our workers can make ' units in an eight(hour shift without a manager. If I hire #ou to manage them and the# still make ' units a da#, what is the benefit to m# business of having hired #ou? )n the other hand, if the# now make * units per da#, #ou, the manager, have value. The same analog# applies to service, or retail, or teaching, or an# other kind of work. +an #our group handle more customer calls with #ou than without? ,ell higher value merchandise? Impart knowledge more effectivel#? etc. That is the value of management ( making a group of individual more effective. Plan anagement starts with planning. -ood management starts with good planning. And proper prior planning prevents. well, #ou know the rest of that one. Without a plan #ou will never succeed. If #ou happen to make it to the goal, it will have been b# luck or chance and is not repeatable. /ou ma# make it as a flash(in(the(pan, an overnight sensation, but #ou will never have the track record of accomplishments of which success is made. &igure out what #our goal is 0or listen when #our boss tells #ou1. Then figure out the best wa# to get there. What resources do #ou have? What can #ou get? +ompare strengths and weaknesses of individuals and other resources. Will putting four workers on a task that takes !2 hours cost less than renting a machine that can do the same task with one worker in ' hours? If #ou change the first shift from an * A start to a !" A start, can the# handle the earl# evening rush so #ou don3t have to hire an e4tra person for the second shift? 5ook at all the probable scenarios. 6lan for them. &igure out the worst possible scenario and plan for that too. 7valuate #our different plans and develop what, in #our best 8udgement, will work the best and what #ou will do if it doesn3t. TIP$ One of the most often overlooked management planning tools is the most effective. Ask the people doing the work for their input. Organize 9ow that #ou have a plan, #ou have to make it happen. Is ever#thing read# ahead of #our group

so the right stuff will get to #our group at the right time? Is #our group prepared to do its part of the plan? Is the downstream organi%ation read# for what #our group will deliver and when it will arrive? Are the workers trained? Are the# motivated? :o the# have the equipment the# need? Are there spare parts available for the equipment? Has purchasing ordered the material? Is it the right stuff? Will it get here on the appropriate schedule? :o the legwork to make sure ever#thing needed to e4ecute the plan is read# to go, or will be when it is needed. +heck back to make sure that ever#one understands their role and the importance of their role to the overall success. Direct 9ow flip the ;)9; switch. Tell people what the# need to do. I like to think of this part like conducting an orchestra. 7ver#one in the orchestra has the music in front of them. The# know which section is pla#ing which piece and when. The# know when to come in, what to pla#, and when to stop again. The conductor cues each section to make the music happen. That3s #our 8ob here. /ou3ve given all #our musicians 0workers1 the sheet music 0the plan1. /ou have the right number of musicians 0workers1 in each section 0department1, and #ou3ve arranged the sections on stage so the music will sound best 0#ou have organi%ed the work1. 9ow #ou need onl# to tap the podium lightl# with #our baton to get their attention and give the downbeat. Monitor 9ow that #ou have ever#thing moving, #ou have to keep an e#e on things. ake sure ever#thing is going according to the plan. When it isn3t going according to plan, #ou need to step in and ad8ust the plan, 8ust as the orchestra conductor will ad8ust the tempo. 6roblems will come up. ,omeone will get sick. A part won3t be delivered on time. A ke# customer will go bankrupt. That is wh# #ou developed a contingenc# plan in the first place. /ou, as the manager, have to be alwa#s aware of what3s going on so #ou can make the ad8ustments required. This is an iterative process. When something is out of s#nc, #ou need to 6lan a fi4, )rgani%e the resources to make it work, :irect the people who will make it happen, and continue to onitor the effect of the change. Is It Worth It anaging people is not eas#. However, it can be done successfull#. And it can be a ver# rewarding e4perience. <emember that management, like an# other skill, is something that #ou can improve at with stud# and practice.
Management : Art or Science ? Management is everywhere - office, hospital, school, curity, Finance, trust etc., Management is basically Planning, rgani!ing, "oor#inating, $irecting, Assessing, "orrecting, Motivating an# Achieving a set goal. %t is ob&ective-oriente#. 'e always have a #oubt whether it is an art or

science. %t is the ol#est of arts an# youngest of science, because it is of #ynamic nature. $ifferent Managements nee# #ifferent approaches( for e)ample *usiness Management an# Personnel Management are base# on "ommon principles but vary a lot in the approach. +conomists say Management is a Factor of Pro#uction( Socialist views it as a ,roup of People( others say that is a process( Mary Par-er says . Management in its true sense, a process by which an organi!ation reali!es its ob&ectives in a planne# manner/( Management is all about great i#eas, people an# achievements( though there are many #efinitions of Management no single #efinition is universally accepte#, as it changes from situation to situation, in#ustry to in#ustry( it has got #ifferent #imensions an# hence cannot be #efine# precisely as a Scientific 0heory or 1aw( 2ames A. F. says . Management is the process of Planning, rgani!ing 1ea#ing an# "ontrolling efforts of organi!ation members an# of using all other organi!ational resources to achieve pre-#etermine# rgani!ational goals/. $r. 2ames 1un#y3s views : .Management is a tas- of Planning, "oor#inating, Motivating an# "ontrolling the efforts of others towar#s specific ob&ectives/. Accor#ing to 4enry Fayol, .Management is to forecast, plan, organi!e, comman#, coor#inate an# control5. Peter F $ruc-er #efines Management as .An +conomic rgan of in#ustrial society/( +.F.1. *reach says .Management is concerne# with seeing that the &ob gets #one, its tas-s are centere# on planning an# gui#ing the operations that are going on in the enterprise/( Accor#ing to ,eorge 6 0erry .Management is a #istinct process consisting of planning, organi!ing, actuating an# controlling performance to accomplish the ob&ectives by the use of people an# resources/. Management is ta-ing inputs, transforming them into output-either a goo# or service( the effectiveness of this transforming the input into output #epen#s on the Management - especially when the resources are scarce( %t is a group activity( motivating others an# getting the things #one within the stipulate# time, without compromising on the 7uality of the result( it gives shape an# color to the great i#eas of the manager( Management involves #ealing with people who have #ifferent un#erstan#ing, sensitivity, -nowle#ge, capability, responsibility, maturity. Science is a collection of systematic -nowle#ge, collection of truths an# %nferences after continuous stu#y an# e)periments. 0he 6elationship between 8ariables an# 1imits are #efine# an# the Fun#amental Principles #iscovere#. Science has got three specific characters : 9. %t is a systematic an# organi!e# -nowle#ge an# base# on scientific metho#s of observation. :. %nferences are arrive# after continuous observation an# e)periemtns( ;. %t has logical principles which are well #efine# an# are <niversally applicable without any limitations. Management Principles have also evolve# an# it is changing #ay by #ay accor#ing to the change in the human behaviour( %n science -eeping one factor as 8ariable an# all others as constants the same e)periment is repeate# many times in or#er to arrive at a conclusion( but Management involves human element an# hence all the factors are wil#ly varying.

Art uses the -nown rules an# principles an# uses the s-ill, e)pertise, 'is#om, e)perience to achieve the #esire# result. 0he point is how to get the things #one in the #esire# manner to get the #esire# result. =ew metho#s can be a#opte# from the past e)periences an# inci#ents what to #o an# what not to #o( +ffective Management is e)tracting voluntary cooperation from the staff. So it is #efinitely an art an# it can be ac7uire# only by practicing the theoretical -nowle#ge s-illfully an# pru#ently. Management has got two faces li-e a coin( on one si#e it is art an# on the other it is science. Management has got scientific principles which constitute the elements of Science an# S-ill an# 0alent which are the attributes of Art. Management s-ills are ac7uire# by constant practice as in the case of me#icine, engineering an# accountancy( Mere -nowle#ge of concepts will not fetch results( un#erstan#ing human behaviour, tactfulness, vision, pragmatism, creativity, compassion towar#s staff, team spirit are all nee#e# by a Successful Manager for effective management. 0he Science an# Art are not mutually e)clusive but complementary to each other. 0herefore Management is both a science and an art. http:>>www.chrmglobal.com>Articles>9?@>9>Management--Art-or-Science-.html

Is management a science or an art?

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Welcome to the current school debate. 6lease press 3edit3 and post #our thoughts on whether management is a science or an art. anagement is both an art and science. Almost an#one can learn how to be a manager but the art of it is to become a great manager. An#one can see the results of a bad manager eas# enough but what happens when #ou have a good manager in circumstances that heavil# ta4 his abilit# to manage? What happens when the good manager under too much stress for too long has a bad da#? The answer ma# be that he becomes a bad manager. What happens to a great manager when he faces hardships that would crush most managers? He innovates he takes the weaknesses of his situation and tries to make them strengths. In the hardest times is when #ou find the greatest managers and these managers bring this science to an art form Hello I am =abar from 6akistan I think management is an art is not a science because in management #our task is to betterl# manage human resources and organi%ational matters in #our circle of command > control.

in science #ou do not do this 8ob. if #ou see science definition is entirel# different from management and i am stud#ing this topic for more accurate answer of this question.

HI I m &aisal from 6akistan gmt is both science as well as art. It is science because ur performance is measured and results are visible. &or performance there ld be some s#stem in vogue on the basis of which ur )rgani%ation is assessed and graded. so these all are scientific 8obs that could be meaured in quantitive formats.

management is both a science and art, art of implementing and science of planning

Is management science or art?!"esearch #ote$!Essa $

I9T<):?+TI)9 What is management? 0!1 Is it a science or an art? To different people the answer could be both, either or neither. ,ome people think management is a science, because there e4ist some scientific principles and rules 0such as Ta#lor3s scientific management theories and Weber3s administration of social and economic organi%ation1 that can be applied for improving the productivit# and@or efficienc# of organi%ations, profit or nonprofit, private or public 0Ta#lor, !A!!B Weber, !A2C1. Another important school of taking management as a science comes from the area of s#stems science. 7ver since the !A2"s, +hurchman and Ackoff, based on ,inger3s e4perimentalist philosoph#, have tried to establish an 3Institute of 74perimental ethod3 for dealing with societal issues in areas such as cit# planning and business management 0?lrich, D""2B +hurchman, !AA21. The# have devoted their entire academic lives to design 3a science of management that lives up to the standards of good science3, and contributed a lot to the )perations <esearch ,ociet# of America 06hilip . orse, the father of operations research in the ?.,., served as its founding president in !AED, and Ackoff served as its fifth president in !AE'1 and The Institute of anagement ,cience 0William W. +ooper served as its founding president, and +hurchman served as its ninth president in !A'D and as the first editor(in(chief of the 8ournal anagement ,cience in !AEE1. 0D1 +lassical scientific management methods, +hurchman3s social s#stems design and Ackoff3s social s#stems science can be seen as t#pical representatives of the scientific school, although Ackoff believes that mess management is an art and science 0F1 0+hurchman, !AEE, !AC!, !ACA, !AA2B Ackoff, !AC*, !ACA, !A*!, !AAAa, !AAAb1.

A considerable group of people view management as an art. The reasons are not onl# because no management theor# or approach can guarantee successful practical action of a social or economic organi%ation in practice, but also because these people have advocated or overemphasi%ed personal intuition and other personal irrational factors such as emotion and hunches in decision(making and management. In realit#, management heroes, like icrosoft3s William -ates and -73s Gack Welch and their top(down managerial strateg# have enhanced this idea 09onaka and Takeuchi, !AAE1. =oth views of management, as a science or as an art, can provide ample evidence to support their viewpoints, and the# all seem correct and reasonable from their perspective. However, some people also think management is neither a science nor an art, but a political game. The criterion is in the mind of speakers. 9ow an increasing number of people believe that management is both a science and an art, but the reasons might be different from person to person. Herein, I provide an alternative brief e4planation of management as both a science and an art based on our past research 0see &igure !1 0-ao et al., D""D, D""F, D""*B -ao and 5i, D""FB Gackson and -ao, D""2B -ao, D""F, D""'1. In the following discussion, I, first, point out the difference between science and art. Then, following Gackson3s classification of different s#stems approaches such as modernism and post( modernism, I connect modernism with ob8ectivism and collective sub8ectivism, and post( modernism with individual sub8ectivism. )b8ectivism relates to rationalit#, and sub8ectivism relates to sense and observation. Through the discussion of ob8ect and sub8ect, and mind and bod#, I compare various wa#s of perceiving realit# to capture their difference in nature. With the different wa#s of perceiving different ob8ects in realit# as belonging to the natural@ph#sical world, man(made s#stems or human societ#, we get a perceived realit# that is viewed as science, applied science or technolog# or social science. ,ciences, applied sciences or technologies and social sciences are discussed based on the different schools of western philosoph#. The different characteristics of natural scientists, applied scientists, and social scientists are also briefl# introduced. &inall#, b# introducing knowledge management of modern high(tech corporations, I conclude that the whole picture of &igure I makes sense to managers, consultants, academics and practitioners, because knowledge s#stem of a modern high(tech corporation relates to natural world, man(made s#stems and human societ#. )b8ects under consideration belonging to different parts of realit# require, as Gackson3s +reative Holism promoted, different approaches to deal with. The purpose of this article is to give a brief e4planation of wh# management is both a science and an art, and to inspire further debate and discussion on the essence of management among academics and practitioners. ,+I79+7 A9: A<T We all know that science and art are ver# different in nature. ,cience, in general, is viewed as knowledge about the structure and behaviour of the natural and ph#sical world, based on facts that #ou can prove or a s#stem for organi%ing the knowledge about a particular sub8ect. However, we cannot find a unanimousl# agreed definition of science. Though there is no entit# with the authorit# to define science, and there are various discussions about its definition, its nature and its motive in philosoph# of science, 021 all agree that science is based on rational deduction and e4perimental induction as shown in the middle left of &igure !. 6ost critical philosoph# emphasi%es the creative sub8ective aspect of scientists in the process of creating

knowledge, but considerable collective sub8ectivit#, ob8ectivit#, rationalit# and logic are necessar# in science 06olan#i, !AE*, !A''1. Art is viewed as the use of imagination to e4press ideas or feelings, particularl# in painting, drawing or sculpture, or the skill of creating ob8ects such as paintings or drawings, especiall# when one studies art. In essence, art has nothing to do with ob8ectivit#. It relates to collective,

Essa Title % Is Management an Art or Science?

Management is a set of activities Ainclu#ing planning an# #ecision ma-ing, organi!ing, lea#ing, an# controllingB #irecte# at an organi!ationCs resources Ahuman, financial, physical, an# informationB with the aim of achieving organi!ational goals in an efficient an# effective manner. A manager is someone whose primary responsibility is to carry out the management process within an organi!ation. 0he effective practice of management re7uires a synthesis of science an# art( that is, a blen# of rational ob&ectivity an# intuitive insight. ,oo# management is a mi)ture of art an# science. Managing is wor-ing with an# through other people to accomplish the ob&ectives of both the organi!ations an# its members. Management is both art an# science. %t is the art of ma-ing people more effective .. ... especially when they are #ealing with relative routine an# straightforwar# issues. 0echnical an# #iagnostic s-ills are especially important when practicing the science of management. All sai# an# #one still science of management is not the -in# of science where you mi) two parts of 4y#rogen an# one part )ygen an# you get water, but it is the -in# of science where you a#apt an# a#&ust management techni7ues accor#ing to circumstances an# #ifferent scenarios. +ven though managers may try to be scientific as much as possible, they must often ma-e #ecisions an# solve problems on the basis of intuition, e)perience, instinct, personal insights an# on compassionate groun#s. 6elying heavily on conceptual an# interpersonal s-ills for e)ample