Question

Case Study
"The trouble with management as a field of study and practice", Fred Denny, a space physicist, said to his laboratory head, Claude Greenwood, "is that it has no scientific base. I feel I know what I am doing when I design a guidance system for a missile because I have the space, propulsion, and other sciences available to tell me what to do. But, when you ask me I am doing a good job as a supervisor of my engineering and technical team, there is nothing, no science of management, to guide me. In my reading of the books of management, I get the idea that managers must operate on a closed-system basis, that the best things managers can do are to be friendly, consult with their subordinates on every little thing, and develop strict rules and procedures so that no subordinate can make a mistake. "As I think about it, Claude, I cannot see much science in management. And I wonder what good management books, articles, and management development courses are ever going to do any of us. Do we have to wait for centuries when a science of management,as an exact science like physics, is developed?" Claude Greenwood, having been exposed to a number of management development seminars that had emphasized the usefulness and importance of management knowledge, was taken aback by Fred's outburst. But he was impressed that what his subordinate has said did make a lot of sense. He was, however, at a loss as to how to respond to Fred.
Questions
1. If you were Claude Greenwood how would you respond to Fred Denny's statement?
2. What would you suggest to be done to make management more scientific?

Answer 1

1.     Fred Dany has stated that there is no specific science of how to run management properly. Claude Greenwood should respond him stating that there must not be any specific science about management. Management depicts managing of a certain number of people having different opinions, standards and cultural values. Thus, no specific science can generalize this entire diversified concept into one frame. Thus, management is not a science. Instead, it is a set of principles and activities which managers are required to be performed.

·       Managers should be friendly to their employees

·       The must appraise the performance standard of employees

·       They should value the diversified working environment

·       They must value the opinions of their subordinates

However, organizational management still requires some steady scientific approaches to developing a permanent set of tasks for managers.

2.     My suggestions to make management more scientific are as follows:

·       Working should be replaced by the ‘rule of thumb’ which depicts the utilization of a chain of simple habits and chain of common senses.

·       Workers should be motivated for their jibs based on their capability and efficiencies

·       Performance of workers should be properly monitored and a set of instructions should be provided to them

·       Tasks should be allocated between managers and workers. it is helpful to provide training and working facility to the workers.