Why Drucker said that management is a kind of humanistic art?

Why did Drucker say that management is a kind of humanistic art management and a practical activity? In China, we seldom explain what a theory is. Generally speaking, theory refers to the science or knowledge that can form a theory, because it needs to be proved and falsified. And knowledge refers to science in the west, which existed as early as ancient Greece. It's just that China is more scientific and knowledgeable now.

In management behavior, the object of management is people, and people are mainly * * *, not rational objects. People's thoughts and behaviors cannot be quantified by scientific methods. The code of conduct we are talking about is actually an order requirement. Unlike machines, machines can set fixed behavior patterns.

Art has standards and is the norm of beauty, but beauty itself has no standards. People's behavior is usually a moral principle in society, and enterprises are organizations in society, and they also follow social moral principles. Unlike those who engage in corporate culture, distinctive corporate culture is independent of society.

The understanding of art involves language, performance art, psychology and other fields. For example, in the process of communication, we can express poetically or in a popular way. No matter what kind of expression is inseparable from the original cultural form of society, it's just that enterprises choose which cultural form to apply. If you choose art, then communication is art.

If we manage objects artistically, such as people or things, people can change from an ordinary commodity to a work of art, which is dynamic in the process of enterprise management.

Is management a science? The debate about whether management is a science (or an art) has never stopped. Drucker believes that if we want to be more cautious, modest and suitable, management will be more accurate if it becomes an analytical tool rather than a management science.

From the origin, the research object of management science is very complex social systems such as enterprises, rather than mechanical systems in the physical or chemical sense. The former can't be accurately simulated and copied in the laboratory environment, or it can certainly be done. Therefore, Drucker pointed out that management science (even if it can be called that) is not a method of calculation, but a tool of analysis. Its purpose is to help managers make a diagnosis, and its task is to help managers make a profound understanding and put forward various possible solutions, rather than prescribing.

The term management science first appeared after the Second World War in the last century. Literally, it is not difficult to see that people in those days hoped that this subject would become more rigorous, scientific and quantitative. At that time, management science was mostly based on operational research, hoping to replace deterministic speculation with some new management tools, replace judgment with knowledge and replace experience with hard facts, showing an extremely urgent reconstruction and overly optimistic background.

At that time, people hoped that computers would replace managers, and management scientists were gearing up and thought that they would take over the decision-making control of enterprises. Of course, today we know that the computer is just a tool and cannot replace the human brain. On the other hand, management science can also be a tool to exert its greater potential if it correctly understands itself. For example, doctors are not necessarily hematologists or bacteriologists, and managers are not necessarily management scientists. However, doctors must know what blood chemistry and bacteriology can provide as diagnostic tools and how to use them. A manager must also know what management science can provide for management tools and how to use them.

The biggest defect of management science is limited by the complexity of its research object. Enterprise is recognized as the highest social system. In all systems, the most important overall urban achievement is often the result of growth and dynamic balance, rather than the result of technical efficiency. Social system is different from mechanical system and biological system because it has great uncertainty.

In a word, the disadvantages of current management science are that it emphasizes technology rather than principle, measures rather than decision-making, and local efficiency rather than overall performance.

On the other hand, the great potential of management science has not been discovered, mainly for two reasons:

1, the first reason is related to the origin of management science. Other sciences first roughly determine the research object, and then formulate the research essentials and tools. At the beginning, management science applied the concepts and tools used by other sciences to specific purposes, in other words, it only directly applied some discoveries in the natural field to enterprise research. Therefore, management science often neglects to ask and answer the correct question: What is an enterprise? What is management? What should enterprises and management do? What do they need? On the contrary, I am concerned with such things. Where can I apply my new skills? Wait a minute. Such details.

Management scientists often equate science with quantification, ignoring that management science should start with the understanding of the research object, and then establish its basic assumptions and principles, especially the important fact that any enterprise exists in an extremely complex economy and society. Even the most powerful enterprise must obey the environment and may be destroyed by the environment. On the other hand, even the weakest enterprises are not only adapting to the environment, but also influencing and shaping the economy and society.

The basic principles of the enterprise as the research object also include:

A, enterprise production is neither a commodity nor an idea, but the value determined by people. No matter how beautiful the machine is, it is just a pile of scrap iron before it is useful to customers;

B, some measures of enterprise value, such as currency, are highly abstract and very specific;

C the essence of economic activities is to use existing resources for the unknown and uncertain future. In other words, the essence of an enterprise is risk, and risk is used for expectation rather than fact. The basic function of an enterprise is to create and take risks.

D. the internal and external environment of an enterprise often changes irreversibly. Enterprise exists as the initiator of change in industrial society, and it should adapt and innovate.

Of course, management science needs quantification, but a science can only be quantified in the final stage of development. Management science also needs scientific methods, and the most important thing is to carry out detailed research work in special fields and special businesses, but the premise is that we need to recognize the particularity of enterprises and the special principles necessary for studying enterprises. Based on this, Drucker believes that the first need of management science is to fully respect oneself as an independent and real science.

The second reason for the defects of management science is that the ultimate goal of management science in the past was to minimize or eliminate risks. Trying to eliminate risks in enterprises is often impossible to be effective. If enterprises put resources into future expectations, it is bound to be accompanied by risks. Trying to eliminate risks or minimize risks will only make risks unreasonable and unbearable, and ultimately will only lead to the greatest risk rigidity.

In fact, the important goal of management science should be to enable enterprises to take appropriate risks, or enterprises must be able to take greater risks. In order to do this, management science must provide enterprises with knowledge of various risks and expectations; Determine the required resources and efforts; Mobilize all contributing forces; Measure the results against the target, so as to provide a means to correct mistakes or inappropriate decisions in time, and so on.

Therefore, Drucker believes that the second important problem of management science is that we must take our research objects seriously.

Finally, Drucker pointed out that in order to make management science play a greater role, the key for managers is to put forward requirements and expectations from four aspects:

1, management scientists should test various hypotheses;

2. Management scientists should determine the right questions to ask;

3. They should put forward various alternatives instead of giving answers; The answer in the enterprise is always judgment. This is to choose among various possible schemes with different but equally uncertain risks. It is a synthesis of knowledge, experience and hope. Every action plan in an enterprise has its own risks, uncertainties, boundaries and costs, which are not perfect. )

They should pay attention to understanding rather than formula.

In short, if managers can see the origin and history of management science, they will understand that management science is a tool for managers, not for scientists. The tools used in management science should focus on management tasks and guide them to make contributions to management, which is the responsibility of managers.

Why is management both a science and an art science, because there are rules to be found?

Art is about its creativity.

The most important thing in management is to grasp people's hearts.

We should have certain rules and regulations and use them flexibly.

Managing employees well is of course scientific.

Because you have no good methods, can employees obey your management?

It is art, that is, to manage and convince employees in a better and more effective way.

Give me a concrete example.

One day, a general went to the front line and saw a soldier digging trenches there.

The general asked, "Private, are you tired?"

The soldier said, "This is not a human life!"

The general didn't answer the soldiers' questions directly.

Instead, I took the soldiers all over the military region and told him about the pressure of being a general, and the result came down.

The soldier said, "I'd better dig trenches!" "

It is science because it has a systematic theory. The reason why it is said to be art is that management is mainly aimed at people, and at the same time it has to face complex situations, so it must be flexible and skillful. You can't apply it mechanically with simple theories. Yicheng Project Management Company (with dual qualifications of cost and consultation) sincerely invites you to join ycjt2007. )

Management is the combination of science and art, and the scientific nature of management lies in the fact that management is an activity process, in which there are some basic objective laws and a set of scientific methodologies for analyzing and solving problems, which are constantly verified and enriched in practice, can be copied and learned, and can guide people to carry out effective management. The artistry of management lies in emphasizing its practicality and innovation. In order to realize management effectively, managers should give full play to their enthusiasm, initiative and creativity in management practice and combine management knowledge with specific management activities according to local conditions. Management is both science and art, and it is an organic combination of science and art. The scientific nature of management is the premise and foundation of management artistry, and it is the supplement and improvement of management artistry. Effective management art is based on managers' understanding of the management theory on which it is based. Excellent managers must improve their management level through a lot of practice, and be creative and flexible.

What is management? Why is management an art? Management = operation+management.

People are social animals with different personalities and are also one of the main objects of management. Therefore, it is natural to need an artistic technique that varies from person to person, and there is no fixed code to follow.

Why do I say that management is an art management, an art? In fact, no matter how complicated the management content is and how wide it involves, it is theoretically two words: one is management and the other is rationality; It involves two aspects, one is people and the other is things; There are two purposes of management: one is to maximize the enthusiasm of people, and the other is to meet the needs of enterprise development and maximize the benefits of enterprises. Tracing back to the source, the word "management" comes from two different concepts. "Guan" in ancient China refers to the key, which extended to the meaning of jurisdiction and control. Management is the rule of law, relying on the system to regulate enterprise behavior, reflecting the ownership of power; The so-called "reason" in ancient times was to carve jade, renovate land and cure diseases. It means to dredge, guide and do things. "Reason" in the modern sense is the unity of truth, goodness, beauty and knowledge, faith and action. It is to rely on people to straighten out corporate relations. The words "Guan" and "Li" are used together to indicate the process of controlling and handling things within the scope of power. Therefore, the combination of "management" and "operation" determines two basic functions of management, namely, control function and coordination function.

Management, although accompanied by enterprises from beginning to end, has many fatal misunderstandings in China's enterprise management, mainly including: First, "ignoring management", regardless of willy-nilly, you are a subordinate and an employee, you must abide by my rules and regulations, you can only be honest and obedient, and you are not allowed to make irresponsible remarks; The second is "emphasizing management and neglecting rationality". It leads to arbitrary power, suppresses the subjective initiative of the managed, and fails to achieve the effective role of management.

In the face of complicated people and things, how to manage correctly and make management get twice the result with half the effort is not only a difficult problem for managers, but also a problem that must be solved. Successful management experience is: beyond "complexity", grasp the core of "people" in an outline, be good at management and pay attention to rationality. They respect objective laws and organically combine management with rationality, control and coordination, management in management and management in rationality, so that people can do things more efficiently, happily and correctly. Do management with "law", moderate management and the principle of scientific behavior; Put more energy into "reason", straighten out the relationship, clarify the responsibilities, sort out the atmosphere, straighten out the emotions, guide the situation according to the situation, let everyone's subjective initiative be fully exerted, and make the working environment both serious and warm.

The essence of management is "reason" rather than "management". "Management" is not the goal, "rationality" is the pursuit. Management can only be managed, and management should be people-oriented. "Management" and "rationality" are dialectical unity, and "management" should not only serve "rationality" but also "obey" rationality. Jurisprudence, reason and reason are the basis of "management", sorting, management and conditioning are the methods of "management", and reason and reason are the results of "management". Only in this way, management is the booster and powerful guarantee for enterprise development.

Why is management a science and an art? 1. Management art refers to superb means and methods in management activities. It is a creative management skill based on certain qualities, talents, knowledge and experience, and summed up in long-term management practice.

[Edit this paragraph] Characteristics of management art II. The characteristic of management art lies in its flexibility, which is restricted by three factors: the manager, the managed and the management environment. The specific characteristics are: ① flexibility (randomness), adaptability and skills in dealing with random events. ② Diversity ③ Practicality ④ Skill ⑤ Creativity ⑤ Experience.

3. To say that it is a science means that it has rules to follow, just like natural science; To say that it is an art means that it has no fixed formula to apply, and the accumulation of experience varies from person to person and from thing to thing, so it has its own strong personalized characteristics in practice, and it cannot be completely compared. In addition, management is a technology. Because to do a good job in management, in addition to a lot of practice, we need considerable theoretical knowledge and constantly learn various management skills.

What Drucker management classics (Volume *** 17) include Management Practice-Drucker Management Classics (bilingual edition), Management: Mission, Responsibility and Practice (Responsibility), New Society-Drucker Management Classics and Innovation and Entrepreneurship (bilingual edition).