Management can be understood from various perspectives, and there are a lot of ways to define Management. Specific characteristics of Management signify that Management is a form of science, art, and profession in some cases.
In this page, we will be discussing all the three points of view to ascertain the exact meaning and understand in depth. After you understand all the perspectives, the conclusion answers the question and allegiance of Management to one of the three domains.
Management as art
To understand Management as an art form, we should first understand the meaning of art. Art is defined as the ability to use information and skills to get the desired results. Artists have the ability to come up with unique solutions and art forms for complicated problems.
The analogy stands upright in Management as managers come up with unique and creative solutions to business challenges. There are no predefined solutions to business problems, and using hundreds of ways to build new processes is a normal part of Management.
To understand in-depth, let’s analyze critical factors that are common in Management and art –
- Prior theoretical knowledge – Every art form and artist uses predefined expertise and data to build upon their ideas. Theories in public speaking, acting school basics for actors, knowledge of tones in music, etc. are all examples of theoretical knowledge which is used in specific art forms. Similarly, in Management, professionals are given workflows and blueprints to analyze, test, and execute business ideas.
- Personalized approach – Every artist has its own view of building forms of art. For example, every musician has its own style; every painter prefers a specific niche, etc. Similarly, in Management, every professional has its own way of approaching problems and suggesting solutions.
- Involves a lot of creativity – Every art form is heavily dependent on creativity. Creative thinking produces beautiful art and is unique to the best artists. Similarly, in Management, innovative solutions have given birth to amazing companies and benchmark management principles that are used worldwide.
Management as Science
Let’s start with the definition of science. Science is an organized collection of knowledge that has an explanation on the basis of facts for every phenomenon. The concepts and hypotheses of science are all defined with principles, and a similar thing is practiced in Management.
Like art, Management also shares key factors with science, which can quickly help us term Management as a science.
Let’s discuss the common factors –
- Systematic structure – Subjects of science like Chemistry and physics have defined systematic principles and divisions. Each subsection has another set of principles that help you experiment with new things in a particular domain. Similarly, Management has a systematic structure of divisions and principles. Every principle can be used as a reference while experimenting with new things.
- Universal validity – The concepts and basic principles of Management have universal validity. For example, the principles used in finance management are similar in every company, and the rules are valid universally. These sets of principles do not change with situations and applications.
- Experiments – Concepts and principles of science are predefined and are always experimented with trial and error to justify them and bring new inventions. Similarly, concepts in Management are often tested to improve business practices.
Management as a profession
A profession is a form of occupation in which a person renders his/her services after acquiring expertise in a particular domain. The professional is remunerated by the company for which he/she renders the services.
The profession involves a contract between a company and the professional for a specific period, and the entry factors for the role are limited by various factors.
The significant factors of professions which are familiar to Management are
- Formal Education and systems – Like any profession, Management contains formal levels of education and building systems to reach desired positions. To join the Management of large corporations, students join and excel in degrees like BBA, MBA, etc.
- Restricted entry – Entry to any management role is possible only for candidates with certain set entry criteria. These criteria include educational qualifications, experience, efficiency, knowledge of specific software, etc.
- Code of conduct and associations – Management, like any other profession, contains a code of conduct and ethics that every manager has to abide by. The presence of various management associations is there, which regulates and certifies managers for specific skills.
Conclusion
You must have understood the standard features of Management, art, science, and profession. You might read about Management belonging to one of the three categories. But as we can identify, Management is a mixture of all three types.
Also Read: Definition of Management
You can categorize Management into something as it is a combination of various factors, all of which combine to create processes to bring disruptions in society. Optimum usage of procedures in Management can help organizations achieve all imaginary feats in their particular domains.
