Business Laws and Management · Management Knowledge for Company Secretaries

Introduction to Management and Its Nature: Art, Science or Profession

Updated 11 October 2026 · Fact-checked

Management is the process of getting things done through people by planning, organising, staffing, directing and controlling, to achieve set goals efficiently. Its nature is mixed: it is a science in its body of principles, an art in its application, and a developing profession. Solve MCQs by matching each feature to its keyword.

Understand Introduction to Management and Its Nature

Every organisation, from a small shop to Tata Steel, has goals. Management is the process that turns scarce resources such as people, money, materials and time into those goals. A manager does not do all the work personally. A manager gets work done through others.

A good working definition: management is the process of planning, organising, staffing, directing and controlling the efforts of people and the use of resources to achieve organisational objectives effectively and efficiently. Effective means doing the right task, so the goal is achieved. Efficient means doing it with the least waste of resources.

The main characteristics are easy to remember as keywords. Management is goal-oriented, all-pervasive (needed in every organisation and at every level), multidimensional (it covers work, people and operations), a continuous process, a group activity, a dynamic function (it adapts to change), and an intangible force (you see its results, not management itself).

There are three levels of management. Top level (board of directors, CEO, managing director) sets objectives and policies and takes strategic decisions. Middle level (departmental or divisional heads) turns those plans into departmental plans and links top and lower levels. Lower or supervisory level (supervisors, foremen) directs the workers and makes sure daily work follows the plan.

The objectives of management are usually grouped as organisational (survival, profit, growth), social (benefit to society, quality goods, jobs) and personal (meeting employees' needs and growth). Its importance lies in achieving group goals, increasing efficiency, creating a dynamic organisation, achieving personal objectives and helping development of society.

Is management an art, a science or a profession? It is art because it needs personal skill and creativity in applying knowledge. It is science because it has an organised body of knowledge based on principles, though these are not as exact as in physics, so they are flexible. It is a profession only partly: it has a body of knowledge and can be learned, but it lacks a compulsory licence, a single statutory governing body and a fixed code of conduct for all managers. The safe summary is that management is both an art and a science, and a developing profession.

Key formulas to remember

Definition of management: Management = Planning + Organising + Staffing + Directing + Controlling, to achieve goals; Functions can be listed slightly differently in different books; check the options given.
Effectiveness vs efficiency: Effectiveness = doing the right task; Efficiency = doing the task right (least cost); Effectiveness is about the end, efficiency is about the means.
Levels of management: Top (strategic) → Middle (tactical) → Lower/supervisory (operational); Top level decides policy; middle level implements; lower level supervises workers.
Nature of management: Art (skill in application) + Science (organised principles) + Profession (partly); Management does not meet every test of a full profession, such as a compulsory licence.
Three groups of objectives: Organisational + Social + Personal; Organisational objectives include survival, profit and growth.

How to solve Introduction to Management and Its Nature questions

Most questions on this topic test recall of keywords and the ability to match a feature to a level or to art, science or profession. Use this method.

1Read the question and decide what is asked: definition, characteristic, level, objective, importance or nature.
2Underline the keyword in the statement, such as 'in every organisation', 'policy', 'supervise workers' or 'personal skill'.
3Match the keyword to its concept: 'in every organisation' means all-pervasive; 'policy and strategy' means top level; 'supervise workers' means lower level; 'personal skill' means art.
4For art, science or profession questions, test the statement against the features: skill and creativity (art), principles and testing (science), licence, code of conduct and education (profession).
5Eliminate options that are extreme, such as 'management is only a science' or 'only top managers do management'.
6For written answers, give the definition, list points with a one-line explanation each, and end with a short conclusion.

Quickest way: Keyword matching

When to use it: Use this for one-mark MCQs in Part B of Paper 4, where you have well under a minute per question.

Spot the key phrase in the stem.
Link it to one label: goal-oriented, all-pervasive, continuous, dynamic, intangible, group activity.
For levels, link policy and strategy to top, coordination and departmental plans to middle, day-to-day supervision to lower.
For nature, link skill and creativity to art, principles to science, and missing licence or code to 'not a full profession'.
Pick the option that fits fully, then move on.

Common mistakes in Introduction to Management and Its Nature

Saying management is a full profession like medicine or law.
Students see that managers are trained and paid, and assume it is a profession.
Fix: Remember that there is no compulsory licence and no single statutory body for all managers. Call it a developing or emerging profession.
Calling management an exact science.
The word 'principles' suggests fixed laws like physics.
Fix: Management principles are flexible because they deal with human behaviour. Say it is a science with less exactness, or a 'soft' science.
Mixing up the work of middle and top level managers.
Both make plans, so they look the same.
Fix: Top level decides overall objectives and policy. Middle level converts them into departmental plans and coordinates. Lower level supervises actual work.
Confusing effectiveness with efficiency.
Both sound like 'doing well'.
Fix: Effectiveness is reaching the goal. Efficiency is reaching it with minimum cost and waste. A task can be effective but not efficient.
Thinking management is needed only in business firms.
Textbook examples often use companies.
Fix: Management is all-pervasive. Schools, hospitals, government offices and charities need it too.
Treating 'intangible' as meaning management has no effect.
The word suggests something unreal.
Fix: Intangible means it cannot be seen or touched, but its results such as profit, order and morale can be seen.

Worked examples

Example 1

Meera is the production supervisor at a Pune factory. She assigns jobs to workers, watches quality and reports problems to her departmental head. At which level of management does she work, and what is her main role?

Show the solution

Identify the keywords: assigns jobs to workers, watches quality, reports to departmental head.
These are day-to-day, operational tasks directly with workers.
Direct supervision of workers is the mark of the lower or supervisory level.
Her report goes to a departmental head, who is at the middle level.

Answer: Meera works at the lower (supervisory) level. Her main role is to supervise workers and make sure daily work follows the plan.

Example 2

Management is both an art and a science. Explain briefly, and state whether it is a full profession.

Show the solution

Art: it needs personal skill and creativity. Two managers with the same knowledge get different results because of how they apply it.
Science: it has an organised body of knowledge with principles, such as those developed from observation and experiment. These are flexible, not exact, because they deal with people.
Profession test: management has a body of knowledge and can be taught, but there is no compulsory licence, no single statutory body and no universal code of conduct binding all managers.
Combine the points into a conclusion.

Answer: Management is a science in its body of principles and an art in its application. It is not yet a full profession because it lacks a compulsory licence and a binding code of conduct, so it is best called a developing profession.

Exam tips

In Paper 4 there is no negative marking, so attempt every question. Eliminate extreme options first and guess among the rest.
Learn the seven characteristics as one-word keywords. Questions usually describe a feature and ask you to name it.
Prepare a three-line table in your head: top, middle, lower, each with its typical designations and main task.
For nature questions, the correct option is usually the balanced one: art and science, and a developing profession.
Use the 15 minutes of reading time to mark management questions in Part B that you can answer in seconds.

Practice questions from Management Knowledge for Company Secretaries

Introduction to Management and Its Nature: frequently asked questions

Is management an art or a science for CSEET?

It is both. It is a science because it has organised principles, and an art because applying them needs personal skill and creativity. Most exam answers also add that it is a developing profession.

What are the main characteristics of management?

Management is goal-oriented, all-pervasive, multidimensional, a continuous process, a group activity, dynamic and an intangible force. Learn each as a keyword with a one-line meaning.

What are the three levels of management?

They are top level, middle level and lower (supervisory) level. Top level sets objectives and policy, middle level implements them through departments, and lower level supervises workers in daily operations.

Why is management not called a full profession?

A full profession usually has a compulsory licence, a statutory governing body and a binding code of conduct. Management has no such requirement for all managers, so it is considered a developing profession.