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Is management considered a science or art?

As organisations are becoming more complex in modern organisations, it can be argued to be both, either a science or an art, depending upon how it is approached. Lets have a look below:

ART – All managers at some point deal with people and problems in the real world. They are required to quickly make decisions, thus relying on intuition, experience, instinct and personal insights.

SCIENCE – Many management problems can be approached in a rational, logical, objective, systematic way. Quantitative models can be employed to arrive at ‘correct’ decisions.

Have a look below at Management in Antiquity and how different countries used management:

  • Sumerians – written rules of governance.
  • Egyptians – management principles to organise large scale construction projects. EG, the pyramids.
  • Babylonians – laws and policies of governance.
  • Chinese – extensive organisational structure for government agencies and the arts.
  • Greeks – different governing systems for city and state.
  • Romans – organisational structure and hierarchical management for communication and control.
  • Venetians – assembly line operation to build sailing vessels.

Do you think managers today use a blend of art and science in their role? What determines this blend?

  • I have traditionally thought of management as a science, but this may be because of my accounting background.

    Perhaps I see leadership as an art and management as a science. Leadership, in my view is about people, teamwork and inspiration. I see management as being more about policy, processes and resources.

    Cheers

    Andrew

    Andrew

    June 21, 2008

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