Question

Maximum Word Count 500 words

Essay 20 Marks

b) On Thursday, 4th June 2020, a group of students from University of Ghana Business School (UGBS) and the Department of Political Science were debating whether Management should be classified as a Science or an Art. The students from the Department of Political Science were of the view that Management is an Art whiles those from UGBS believed that it should be considered as a Science. A student from UGBS retorted: “You people even call Political Science a Science how much more management, what is really Science about your Politics?”. Based on this debate, do you think management is a Science or an Art? Give examples to support your argument.

Answer 1

The key difference between science and art is that art is subjective while science is objective. This key difference is why management is more an art than a science. While management is based on certain accepted principles and practices with cause and effect relationships, it is an art that is perfected through practice by acquiring knowledge, applying it to a specific situations/company/industry and then customising or evolving into the finely tuned process/product that is desired.

Like a painting, the process of managing a project requires

- knowledge of basic skills : project management, financials, risk and quality management etc. much like a painter needs to know how to draw, sketch, use of colours, canvas etc.

- a defined methodology or composite of methodologies that is best suited for the occasion : agile or waterfall methodologies, best practices that are used in the industry, latest ideas etc. like a painter might choose a type of painting such as surrealism, abstract, impressionism.

- application and tools of those skills : using project management tools such as software/technology aids, active listening skills, people management tips and tricks , as painters wield brushes and palettes and colours.

- subjective customising based on the current situation : management can be subjective and constrained due to geographical factors, cultural norms, language etc. much as a painter has to paint using available vegetable dyes or oils, canvas cloth, type of brushes etc.

- personal skill : not every manager is a good one and not every painter is a Van Gogh. There is a lot of personal element in the art of management, being able to empathise with the team members, ability to communicate effectively and to manage all relevant factors pertinent to the situation. A manager's creativity and imagination in difficult situations can help to make the best of a bad situation even in the worst of times.

- honing of the skill : also like the art of painting, a manage must hone his/her skill to become better at his/her craft e.g. managing projects or people. This requires constant learning, either on the job or through formal education and can be an on-going process throughout a career.

Like art, management is a personalised application of universally accepted principles to achieve the desired result of a successful project or happy employees (Hattangadi, 2019). Management in recent years has seen a greater focus as companies realise that effective management is key to achieve success. The availability of good tools and practices does not in itself guarantee a good management experience, a lot of the credit (or blame) goes to the manager who needs to understand and develop a skill in the area. As painters might mix colours, so can a manager choose different methods to extract the best out of the team and the project to ensure the best possible outcomes. An added degree of complexity in management is the managing of people and their diverse talents and outlooks. This requires a high degree of innovation on the part of a manager to organise other people as well as their own work to ensure the corporate goal is met. A good manager must also understand all other elements that can affect the project or team, such as senior management, corporate strategies, industry or market forces, competition etc.  

(Boettinger, 1975)

References :

Boettinger, Henry M. (1975) Is Management Really an Art? Harvard business review (Jan).

Hattangadi, Vidya (2019) Why management is both art and science. Financial express.