Management as both Art and Science

It has been clear from the emergence of modern business that effective management a)_______________. b)_____________, managers have been highly motivated to understand the nature of their job and to improve their performance. The goal of management is to integrate the diverse elements of a business – people, machinery, money, buildings and raw materials – and direct them toward a common purpose. To do this well, a manager must combine the intuitive abilities of art with the rational methods of science. The field of management that includes the study and use of mathematical models and statistical methods to improve the effectiveness of managerial decision making is called management science.

Clearly, management is a difficult job. One factor that makes it difficult is that that the work situation – employees, technology, competition, and cost – constantly changes. All of the functions a manager must perform require dedication, persistence, intelligence, the ability to deal with concepts as well as details, and the willingness to accept stress and responsibility. Particularly in the modern world, where business operations are becoming increasingly complex, a manager must consciously develop his or her personal qualities, professional skills, and business knowledge c)________________________.

An effective manager must develop and apply such qualities and skills as innovation, decision making, leadership, communication, and motivation.

Managers must try to find new and better ways d)___________________. Being a manager requires a high level of innovation, or creativity to formulate new techniques, products, and approaches to business problems. Decision making is the process of selecting an alternative course of action that will solve a problem. The capacity for decision making, often with data that is incomplete or of doubtful exactness, e)__________________. To produce a truly effective organization, a manager must also use leadership, which can be defined as the ability to influence the attitudes and behaviour of others through skill in personal relations and without the use of force.

Nearly everything a manager does is accomplished through other people. Although psychology and sociology are making progress in describing human behaviour scientifically, most facets of personal interactions remain unclear. f)_______________________, successful personal interactions in a business setting are dependent on the sensitivity of a manager. Intuition and sensitivity are also useful in the many business decisions that must be made with incomplete data. If an executive must decide whether to introduce new product, he or she will have a variety of data and the opinions of others. g)____________________, much even most, of the relevant data will not be available. In order to make decisions, experienced executives must have a feel for the market and for the behaviour of the consumers.

Rational and quantitative approaches are becoming even more common and successful in business. These scientific aspects of management stress the use of data gathered and measured according h)________________________. These methods are widely used not only in production and distribution, but also in the people oriented management functions, such as supervision and sales. In spite of the growing importance of these techniques, however management i)_____________________.

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