Is Management an Art or a Science?

Hi all,

In my view I would say management is both an art and a science.

Its an art because, one's skill in the management of a firm is been shown in his/her management of the business through the use of planning, controlling, directing and coordinating whiles is a science because its faster and easier since everything is now technologically accessed, one can be said to have a good management.

Hi Everybody,

I think,

Management is both an art and a science. It is considered as a science because it has an organized body of knowledge which contains certain universal truth. It is called an art because managing requires certain skills which are personal possessions of managers. Science provides the knowledge & art deals with the application of knowledge and skills.

A manager to be successful in his profession must acquire the knowledge of science & the art of applying it. Therefore management is a well-judged combination of science as well as an art because it proves the principles and the way these principles are applied is a matter of art. Science teaches to 'know' and art teaches to 'do'.

EG. A person cannot become a good singer unless he has knowledge about various ragas & he also applies his personal skill in the art of singing. Same way it is not sufficient for manager to first know the principles but he must also apply them in solving various managerial problems that is why, science and art are not mutually exclusive but they are complementary to each other (like tea and biscuit, bread and butter etc. ). To conclude, we can say that science is the root and art is the fruit.

With in my judgment Art & Science are the two sides of the Management coin. Like the actual sense is neither Science nor Art but requires both to be successful, that is it isn't really pure art because it uses scientific method, its more like the Art of Management begins where the Scientific Management stops.

Management is both an art and science in my side. As a science it seeks to know variables that affects performance and as an art it uses function of coordinating to determine performance of workers.

Management is art and science both because whatever we plan, organize, direct, control over the different situations in the life.

Management tells us that how much efficiency can be achieved by doing a particular act.

It is also provide the capability of taking decision towards the goals of the life as well.

HI. Let take it to be both, as an art it provides the manager with the technical knowhow of how to manage ie, he/she applies art part of management to manage smoothly, on the other hand the science part provides the already tested or used techniques which can be of help, hence managers uses the science part to analyse the management skills which can be of good outcome, hence management qualify to be both an art and a science.

Hello all. My view is that management is applicable in both situations. As an art, the manager can only supervise the employees in different capacity but as a science the manager has to practice the entire management skill by him/herself.

Therefore it fits in both cases. Thank you.

Management is both an act and also science. Management over the centuries has remained an act. Management is an act because it depend on past experience and not on testable technical knowledge as the case may be in physics, chemistry etc.

Management is a science when it uses a systematic or scientific method to obtain a comprehensive information about a problem.

Management is not a fully flourished art instead its a growing one and its not a complete science as different people have different abilities and they cannot be tested in a lab.

Management is an amalgam of science and art but this combination cannot be in equal proportion. Management is regarded as an applied science. As an applied scientist, a manager possesses the skill to use his knowledge into practice in the working of an org. Just as a doctor has to translate his knowledge into curing the patients.