Management as an Art: Definition of Art & Its Correlation with Management

The compilation of these Nature and Significance of Management Notes makes students exam preparation simpler and organised.

Management as an Art

The world of management is truly creative and full of theoretical aspects, easily applicable to real-world situations. Interestingly, management is officially qualified as art. This is because it covers all the features required to be called as an art. Thus, here we will study how and why we consider management as an art.

What is Art?

We already know a layman’s definition of art and also observe various examples of art around us. However, there are some common features among the fields which are a part of the wider set called art. Thus before trying to understand management as an art, it is important for us to pay equal attention to the general definition of art.

The world of arts requires a specific person to use his/her creativity and apply personal skills in an exhaustive manner. Thus, once certain basic principles are learned, the student is required to take them a step further and mix their creativity. The basic features of art are:

Existence of Theoretical Concepts
Contrary to popular belief, art is not at all crude and non-theoretical. Every form of art contains a fair amount of theories. Also, there are various basic principles for every form of art, framed by their fathers, which are religiously followed by students. For example- literature on acting, public speaking, etc.

Personalised Application
Interestingly, art is very personalized. Although the basic principles form the roots of a form of art, it is the personal application, skills, and creativity of their students that defines that respective art as their own. In other words, it varies from individual to individual. For example, two writers can express their art in a completely different manner.

Based on Practice and Creativity
Any art has it’s respective basic theories and principle that guides its students. However, it just provides a spark. The onus is upon the students to practice these concepts. Further, it is the creativity of a person that makes him/her stand out from the crowd in the world of art. For example, a musician begins his/her journey learning the basic concepts like the seven notes. However, it is how he/she does creative and new things with that knowledge that earns recognition.

Management as an Art

Management as an Art

A manager takes care of all the management processes within an organisation with the help of knowledge gained from the study and practice of theoretical concepts and basic principles of management. An abundant amount of literature is present in various areas of management that act as guiding principles and important knowledge for all managers.

There exist a plethora of management strategies and theories propounded by the fathers of management. These principles are used by a manager to handle the various situations in their day to day managerial lives. Also, efficient management practices, imagination, takes initiative, and innovates on these concepts. Lastly, the creativity of a specific manager plays a key role in the application of such principles in a unique way.

Each manager has his own style of management. Though, the basic knowledge remains more or less the same, the style of application of this by a manager can be completely different from others. This means a specific manager has his own style of management.

Example:

Question:
Explain how management is an art.
Answer:
Management is an art because it abides by the three basic features of art:

  • It has theoretical concepts and basic principles
  • It is based on creativity and practice
  • Personalised application