17. Management is regarded as an Art by some, as Science or as an inexact Science by others. The truth seems to be somewhere in between. In the light of this statement explain the true nature of management.

Management as an Art:
Art is the application of know-how and personal skill in a particular situation to achieve desired results. The basic features of an art are as follows:
1) It involves acquisition of skills and ability.
2) It aims to achieve concrete results.
3) Continuous practice is required to get perfection.
4) Existence of theoretical knowledge
5) Personalized application
6) Based on practice and creativity
Management can be said to be an art since it satisfies the following criteria:
(i) A successful manager practices the art of management in the day-to-day job of managing an enterprise based on study, observation and experience. There is a lot of literature available in various areas of management which the manager has to specialize in.

(ii) There are various theories of management, which prescribe certain universal principles. A manager applies these scientific methods and body of knowledge to a given situation, an issue or a problem, in his own unique manner.

(iii) A manager applies this acquired knowledge in a personalized and skillful manner in the light of the realities of a given situation. He is involved in the activities of the organization, studies critical situations and formulates his own theories for use in a given situation.

Management as science:
The basic features of science are as follows.
1) Science is defined as a systematic body of knowledge based on observations, experimentation and intelligent speculation.
2) It explains the cause and effect relationship between different variables.
3) It verifies the authenticity of knowledge acquired.
4) It comprises basic principles applicable universally and capable of use for predictive purposes.

Based on the above features, we can say that management has some characteristics of science.
(i) Management has a systematized body of knowledge
(ii) The principles of management have evolved over a period of time based on repeated experimentation and observation in different types of organisations. However, since management deals with human beings and human behaviour, the outcomes of these experiments are not capable of being accurately predicted or replicated. Therefore, management can be called an inexact science.
(iii) Since the principles of management are not as exact as the principles of science, their application and use is not universal. They have to be modified according to a given situation.

Thus management has features of both art and science. The practice of management is an art. However, managers can work better if their practice is based on the principles of management. These principles constitute the science of management. Management as an art and a science are therefore not mutually exclusive but complement each other.