Management is the art of getting things done through and with people in formally organized

groups. According to Harold Koontz (2008), “Management is an art of getting things done
through and with the people in formally organized groups. It is an art of creating an environment
in which people can perform and individuals and can co-operate towards attainment of group
goals”.

According to Kreitnar (2009), a manager is someone who works with and through people by
coordinating their work to accomplish goals, and is not about personal achievement but an
organization. Planning, organizing, leading and controlling are the four basic managerial
functions which then planning and organizing will be discussed in details.

There are a variety of views about this term. Traditionally, the term "management" refers to the
activities (and often the group of people) involved in the four general functions listed below.

Another common view is that "management" is getting things done through others. Yet another
view, quite apart from the traditional view, asserts that the job of management is to support
employee's efforts to be fully productive members of the organizations and citizens of the
community.

To most employees, the term "management" probably means the group of people (executives and
other managers) who are primarily responsible for making decisions in the organization. In a
nonprofit, the term "management" might refer to all or any of the activities of the board,
executive director and/or program directors.

Functions of management

(Note that the four functions recur throughout the organization and are highly integrated):

i. Planning, including identifying goals, objectives, methods, resources needed to carry out
methods, responsibilities and dates for completion of tasks. Examples of planning are
strategic planning, business planning, project planning, staffing planning, advertising and
promotions planning, etc.

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 ii. Organizing resources to achieve the goals in an optimum fashion. Examples are
organizing new departments, human resources, office and file systems, re-organizing
businesses, etc.
iii. Leading, including setting direction for the organization, groups and individuals and also
influencing people to follow that direction. Examples are establishing strategic direction
(vision, values, mission and / or goals) and championing methods of organizational
performance management to pursue that direction.
iv. Controlling, or coordinating, the organization's systems, processes and structures to reach
effectively and efficiently reach goals and objectives. This includes ongoing collection of
feedback, and monitoring and adjustment of systems, processes and structures
accordingly. Examples include use of financial controls, policies and procedures,
performance management processes, measures to avoid risks etc.

FEATURES OF MANAGEMENT

Following image depicts fourteen important features of management. The nature,

main characteristics or features of management:
 Continuous and never ending process.
 Getting things done through people.
 Result oriented science and art.
 Multidisciplinary in nature.
 A group and not an individual activity.
 Follows established principles or rules.
 Aided but not replaced by computers.
 Situational in nature.
 Need not be an ownership.
 Both an art and science.
 Management is all pervasive.
 Management is intangible.
 Uses a professional approach in work.
 Dynamic in nature.

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 i. Continuous and never ending process: Management is a Process. It includes four main
functions, viz., Planning, Organising, Directing and Controlling. The manager has to Plan
and Organise all the activities. He had to give proper Directions to his subordinates. He
also has to Control all the activities. The manager has to perform these functions
continuously. Therefore, management is a continuous and never ending process.

ii. Getting things done through people: The managers do not do the work themselves.
They get the work done through the workers. The workers should not be treated like
slaves. They should not be tricked, threatened or forced to do the work. A favourable
work environment should be created and maintained.

iii. Result oriented science and art: Management is result oriented because it gives a lot of
importance to "Results". Examples of Results like, increase in market share, increase in
profits, etc. Management always wants to get the best results at all times.

iv. Multidisciplinary in nature: Management has to get the work done through people. It
has to manage people. This is a very difficult job because different people have different
emotions, feelings, aspirations, etc. Similarly, the same person may have different
emotions at different times. So, management is a very complex job. Therefore,
management uses knowledge from many different subjects such as Economics,
Information Technology, Psychology, Sociology, etc. Therefore, it is multidisciplinary in
nature.

v. A group and not an individual activity: Management is not an individual activity. It is

a group activity. It uses group (employees) efforts to achieve group (owners) objectives.
It tries to satisfy the needs and wants of a group (consumers). Nowadays, importance is
given to the team (group) and not to individuals.

vi. Follows established principles or rules: Management follows established principles,

such as division of work, discipline, unity of command, etc. These principles help to
prevent and solve the problems in the organisation.

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vii. Aided but not replaced by computers: Now-a-days, all managers use computers.
Computers help the managers to take accurate decisions. However, computers can only
help management. Computers cannot replace management. This is because management
takes the final responsibility. Thus Management is aided (helped) but not replaced by
computers.

viii. Situational in nature: Management makes plans, policies and decisions according to the
situation. It changes its style according to the situation. It uses different plans, policies,
decisions and styles for different situations. The manager first studies the full present
situation. Then he draws conclusions about the situation. Then he makes plans, decisions,
etc., which are best for the present situation. This is called Situational Management.

ix. Need not be an ownership: In small organisations, management and ownership are one
and the same. However, in large organisations, management is separate from ownership.
The managers are highly qualified professionals who are hired from outside. The owners
are the shareholders of the company.

x. Both an art and science: Management is result-oriented. Therefore, it is an Art.

Management conducts continuous research. Thus, it is also a Science.

xi. Management is all pervasive: Management is necessary for running a business. It is also
essential for running business, educational, charitable and religious institutions.
Management is a must for all activities, and therefore, it is all pervasive.

xii. Management is intangible: Management is intangible, i.e. it cannot be seen and touched,
but it can be felt and realised by its results. The success or failure of management can be
judged only by its results. If there is good discipline, good productivity, good profits, etc.,
then the management is successful and vice-versa.

xiii. Uses a professional approach in work: Managers use a professional approach for
getting the work done from their subordinates. They delegate (i.e. give) authority to their
subordinates. They ask their subordinates to give suggestions for improving their work.
They also encourage subordinates to take the initiative. Initiative means to do the right
thing at the right time without being guided or helped by the superior.

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xiv. Dynamic in nature: Management is dynamic in nature. That is, management is
creative and innovative. An organisation will survive and succeed only if it is dynamic. It
must continuously bring in new and creative ideas, new products, new product features,
new ads, new marketing techniques, etc.

MANAGEMENT IS AN ART AND SCIENCE

Management as an art or science or a combination of both, let‟s see the words „SCIENCE‟ and
„ART‟. A science can be referred to as knowledge about the structure and behavior of the natural
and physical world, based on facts that you can prove. This can be done through experiments.
Hence, predictions can be made from such experiments. ART on the other hand can be seen as a
skillful way of doing things.

Management as an art deals with the application of skills in the process of getting things done
through people and available resources. On the other hand, as a science it deals with making
decisions and implementing them based on the gathering of past and present data, analyzing
them and the correlation of such data in order to predict future occurrence.

To buttress my point, in the modern world, the budgets of various countries and organizations
are made through the use of existing data which is one of the duties attached to management.
Hence, in budgeting, prediction are made from past and present information which can be
attributed to science.

Also, all over the world, we have laboratories that are specially designed to study the behavior,
attitudes and the way of life of people in order to suggest the best ways of leading, controlling
and relating with them in order to achieve desired goals from them.

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How Management is an Art

To manage effectively, one must have not only the necessary abilities to lead but also a set of
critical skills acquired through time, experience, and practice. The art of managing is a personal
creative attribute of the manager, which is more often than not, enriched by education, training,
experience. In fact, the art of managing involves the conception of a vision of an orderly whole
created from chaotic parts and the communication and achievement of this vision. Managing is
the “art of arts” because it organizes and uses human talent.

Elements of Art in Management

 Practical Knowledge: Art requires practical knowledge, learning of theory is not sufficient.
Art applies theory to the field. Art teaches the practical application of theoretical principles.
For example-Learning how sing does not make you a musician; one must know all
composition and be able to use them. Similarly, A person may have a degree that says he
knows what a manager does but it doesn‟t know how to apply management knowledge in real
life situations he will not be regarded as manager.

 Personal Skill: A manager will not depend on his theoretical knowledge or solution alone. he
or she must have some qualities that make him or her unique.
 Creativity: An Artist‟s work is not limited to his practical knowledge. He thinks outside the
box and creates things extraordinary. Management is also creative in nature like any other art.
Management is all about finding a new way to be well different from other.
 Perfection through practice: Every artist becomes better through item and practice. they
learn from their mistakes. Similarly, managers become more expert as he spends more time in
management thought.
 Goal-Oriented: Art is result oriented. Management works are also a goal or result
oriented. Management takes steps for the attainment of the goal.

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How Management is a Science

Science is obtaining information about a particular object by a systematic pattern of observation,

study, practice, experiments, and investigation. Management process also follows the same
pattern. Gathering data and facts, analyzing them and making a decision based on analysis, are
the basic functions of the management. Management follows a systematic method to find the
possible solution for a problem. It is true that the science underlying managing is inexact or a
soft science at best.

It is not as “Science” as physical sciences such as chemistry or biology which deal with non-
human entities. The inclusion of the human element in managing makes this discipline not only
complex but also debatable as a pure science. Human behavior is unpredictable; people think, act
or react differently under identical circumstances. And so, management can never become as
pure science. However, the study of the scientific foundations of management practice can
definitely improve one‟s management skills. Managers who attempt to manage without
management science have to trust their intuition or luck at their peril rather than their expertise or
skill. Thus, they have to turn for meaningful guidance to the accumulated knowledge of
managing.

The Elements of Science in Managing

Science presupposes the existence of organized knowledge. The essence of science is the
application of scientific method to the development of knowledge that proceeds through the
stages discussed below:

 Concepts: Scientific approach requires a clear “concepts” of mental images of anything

formed by generalization from particulars. Managing has concepts to deal with situations.
 Methods and principles: “Scientific method” involves the determination of facts through
observation. This leads to the development of “principles” which have value in predicting
what will happen in similar circumstances. Similarly, management requires observation
and sets standard or principles according to it.
 Theories: Any branch of science has theories. A „theory” is a systematic grouping of
interdependent concepts and principles that give a framework to, or ties together, a significant

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 area of knowledge. Management studies over the years developed many proved theories for
making management more realistic or scientific.
 Organized knowledge: Science is organized Knowledge. If we compare, management at the
present day is a distinct field of organized knowledge. Concepts, methods, principles, theories
etc. are now the core of management.
 Practice: The theories of managing are the results of practice, and the role of such theories is
to provide a systematic grouping of interdependent concepts and principles that furnish a
framework to, or ties together significant pertinent management knowledge. The theories of
motivation, leadership, and so on may be cited/mentioned as examples. But it is to be borne
in mind that concepts, methods, principles of management are not as rigid as those of the
physical sciences. They may undergo revision and change under new sociopolitical and
economic circumstances.

Management is a Science as well as Art

Science teaches us to know while art teaches us to do. In order to be successful, managers have
to know and do things effectively and efficiently. This requires a unique combination of both
science and art of managing in them. It may, however, be said that the art of managing begins
where the science of managing stops. Since the science of managing is imperfect, the manager
must turn to the artistic managerial ability to perform a job satisfactorily. Thus, it may be said
that managing in practice is definitely an art but the body of knowledge, methods, principles etc.
underlying the practice is science. Even some people might have a different opinion regarding
this matter. But as matter of fact, the art and science of managing are not so much conflicting as
complementary.

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