VALUES OF MANAGEMENT: IS MANAGEMENT AN ART OR SCIENCE?

We are going to consider in this unit the values of management. Also to be discussed is the issue of whether management is an art or science. In the first unit of this course which was discussed last week, we had two working definitions of management. The first definition was given by Weirich and Koontz and the second definition was provided by Sir Reynolds. With these two definitions, we were able to derive the nature as well as the purpose of management. We have to bear these in mind particularly when we find ourselves in the process of managing an organization.

But knowing the nature and purpose of management is not enough. In this early stage of the course on Element to Management 1, it is well to state clearly the values or the essence of studying management. Even though we stated briefly in our last discussion that management remains one of the best things that happen to an organization, we sti II need to pinpoint clearly why it is so. Further, probing into management, argument sometimes arises whether to classify management in the domain of pure science or to remove the cap of science from management and replace it with another cap of Art. That is, to situate management in the door step of Art. We shall be looking at these issues and resolve the apparent contradictions.

OBJECTIVES

By the end of this unit, you should be able to:

• State the values of management 
• Distinguish management from administration 

Values of Management

Management has values. A value is the importance we attach to something. This means that something is of importance to us simply because we have placed some values on it. The same consideration goes to management. Management has importance because there are core values associated with it. These values constitute the reasons why we bother to study management.

To keep pace with the environment

To keep pace with the environment is one of the values of management. The environment of management is a dynamic one; that is, it is always undergoing changes. It is never static. The practice of yesterday becoming obsolete today. To be abreast with these changes demands thorough planning, plan execution, control and evaluation. All these and more demand careful thinking and analysis so that we may not make mistakes in our decisions.

Every economic activity must be directed towards ensuring that the desired goods and services are produced and made available to the consumers at a profit too to the organization. Committing mistakes along the line in the process of taking decisions can be fatal. This is because every business decision or any management decision necessitates the expenditure of organization resources. To spend organization's resources on unprofitable projects does not indicate sound management. It has to be avoided at all cost.

Combining the factors of production

Beyond the desire not to make mistakes in management decisions, another value of management is to be able to combine in the right proportion the factors of production or simply the resources of an organization to achieve a given output. The resources of any organization include: Finance, Material, Human, Information and Time resources. Management has to work out the portion from each of these resources and combine them technically in the desirable proportion in   other to get an output. There should be no wastage. Remember in our last lesson in unit one, we emphasized the need for management not only being effective but also being efficient. Consequently, efficiency in the productive use of organization's resources is one of the strong values of management. Related to this is the fact that the resources of an organization are inert. That is, they do not have consciousness except of course the human resources. As a result, the usefulness of the resources can only be seen in the manner in which they have been combined in other to get result through the output. All these demand tools and relevant techniques which we can get through management principles and theories plus some supporting courses.

To get the best from Human Resources

We have already emphasized that human resources are among the resources available to an organization. But of all the resources, only the human resources have consciousness. But human beings are unpredictable. No one knows what is going on in the mind of another person; only God knows. This is so because the mind of man is like a black box. Nobody sees what is going on there. The physical appearances and expressions can be deceptive. We will be smiling outwardly but what is going on inside is an accumulation of venom, to be spat on the same person we are smiling at. But these same human beings whose behaviours we cannot predict play important roles in an organization. As managers, they are creative and problem Solvers, taking vital decisions necessary for the survival of the organization. As subordinates, they perform the routine tasks necessary to get the products and/or services for the customers. To get the best from them either as employees or an managers calls for sound human relations through the practice of management. The workers must be blended harmoniously and make them to work as a team. The rough edges in their personalities must be smoothen. And that is the work of management.

SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISE 1

You are going to do some thinking based on what you have just studied. But make sure you thoroughly understand the points we have been making on the needs to study management. Close your book and relax. Reflect in your mind and try to figure out why there are differences in behaviour among human beings. To put it simply, why is it that no two individuals even siemese twins can behave exactly the same way?