There are many proofs that support the claim of management sharing multiple similarities with a discipline. Many of the principles and practices of management are based on those of a discipline which makes both of them very similar to each other.
The code of conduct that managers need to follow is also influenced by the disciplines which the employees adhere to. Management has a certain code of conduct which is required to be followed by the managers of that particular management or enterprise. The course of management as a discipline can be seen from multiple angles and the similarities that are shared with discipline can be noted down.
To classify as a discipline, the branch of knowledge should fulfill two basic requirements:
- Relevant knowledge should be communicated by scholars and thinkers via publications and research.
- The imparting of the knowledge should be done by formal training and education programs.
It goes without saying that the management satisfies both of these conditions which is why it can be classified as a discipline.
Management is the branch that concerns itself with the organizational happenings and management of people which can be optimized in order to achieve the objectives of the firm.
There are multiple methods by which a manager can run an organization effectively and various tools are available which highlight the managerial skills and take the enterprise forward. Management is a discipline which is being taught by many institute and universities all around the world and thus it has established itself as a discipline.
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Why is management a discipline?
Discipline requires specialized knowledge and intense preparations on the academic front in order to qualify it. The discipline is regulated by a regulatory body and is considered to be professional.
Following are a few of the points because of which management can be considered as a discipline:
1. Specialized knowledge:
Discipline is expected to have a systematic knowledge body which can be used for the development of its participants and the followers of that discipline. Efforts are to be taken by every participant in order to acquire those techniques and principles.
The same is the case with management professionals who acquires specialized knowledge why is intensive training and use their experience and abilities in order to solve the practical problems in the real world. The manager is expected to have the specialized knowledge coupled with his intense experience of the profession which will help the organization as well as the juniors and subordinates reporting to that manager.
Thus it’s a win-win situation for both managers as well as the management and organization. Only an intense work experience or relevant experience in the field can help the manager to navigate through real-life problems. The specialized knowledge of management is not restricted to a particular age group or for a particular period of time but the manager is expected to gain specialized knowledge throughout the tenure of his career in the field of management.
Constant up-gradation of the knowledge as the market changes are expected from the manager. Market changes every day and there are tons of knowledge and new techniques that flow into the market every day.
Though it is not humanly possible to keep up with such a flow of knowledge a manager is expected to have at least some of all of the happenings in the market so as to not be in a situation where he cannot handle himself.
2. Formal education and training:
Management is across which is regulated by almost every University throughout the world. Formal training can be obtained in these universities and colleges about management as a profession. This is a characteristic that is similar to a discipline where there are multiple centers established in order to propagate and train new trainees about the discipline.
There could be multiple institutes that impart the management training but the core of management remains the same throughout the world. Formal education is one of the important criteria of discipline and the same thing in common with management as well. The manager is required and expected to go formal training and education of management as a discipline and as science where the theoretical concepts of management are imparted to the manager.
Formal education helps the manager to deal with many situations but depending only on formal education would be a mistake because management is not only theoretical education but it is a combination of theoretical as well as practical experiences.
3. Social obligations:
Discipline can be a source of livelihood for many people who are motivated to follow the discipline. Similarly, management is a source of livelihood for many professionals in the business.
A manager is responsible not only for his organization but also to the employees whom he supervisors. A business has many social obligations to fulfill one of which is to ensure that the employees on their livelihood with the business. It is very important that management fulfills this social obligation main providing livelihood which is the basic necessity for many employees.
The manager should also fulfill the social obligation of socializing with internal and external customers. The management and a manager should provide good working conditions along with the decent payment via a vis the work to the employees of the organization. Similarly, the organization also has a responsibility towards the society.
Many of the companies have their corporate social responsibility department which is abbreviated as CSR which is a specialized department that is involved in the activities of giving back to the community or environment. Many CSR departments are involved in rejuvenating the environment, saving water, recycling water, promoting the use of eco-friendly products, reducing their output two eco-friendly disposable waste and other things.
The bigger the organization the higher is the social responsibility and social obligation of the management.
4. Code of Conduct:
Every discipline as a professional code of conduct which is followed by all the members who follow the discipline. This code of conduct acts as a guideline under the standard operating procedure for the members of discipline so that they could Abide by the rules and regulations of the discipline without deteriorating the principles.
The code of conduct has certain rules and regulations even in case of management wherein the business professionals have to abide by it. The rules may differ in every organization but are similar and usually employee-friendly. Members violating the code of conduct in an organization may be punished by the authority due to which serious action can be undertaken by the organization.
The code of conduct is also essential while dealing with international business because different countries have different codes of conduct which should be followed by a multinational company.
On the other hand, when the multinational company is doing business in multiple countries it should adhere to the local laws and should abide by the local code of conduct in the country of the business. Just like discipline, a code of conduct is extremely crucial in management.
5. Representative associations:
Discipline has multiple associations with many representative organizations. It is tied up for multiple purposes which are related to the principles of the discipline. These range from fulfilling the promises and principles of discipline to form new alliances to establishing new leaders and recruiting new members.
On a similar basis, management also has many representative organizations that are associated with it for these multiple functions. Some of the representative organizations are also regulatory bodies that regulate different business organizations and management principles throughout the industry.
The representative associations also ensure the growth of the members of management by exposing them to different cultures and by forming Congress of similar people. Please represented associations also help to fulfill the professional functions and duties of management which makes it more and more similar to a discipline.
6. Management satisfies
Management satisfies many of the criteria and requirements which are necessary for discipline. These conditions include the transfer of knowledge which is done by scholars of the discipline.
Similarly, in the case of management, these include the transfer of the practical knowledge that is gained by the team of management to their juniors. The management students that undergo management training resembles disciplinary training.
The other thing that causes management to be like a discipline is that the knowledge that is gained is passed on to the future managers with the help of educational and training programs which is conducted in every industry.
These training programs are highly specialized and conducted only for a specific requirement of managers. These training programs are also customized according to the needs of the managers so that the training program addresses the specific needs of the managers like presentation training or soft skill training.
7. Universality:
Many of the principles of discipline are universal and applied everywhere similarly the principles of management are also universal and can be applied in many situations business or practical. Many of the principles of management like four P’s of marketing, BCG matrix, FIFO – LIFO, are universal and accepted everywhere.
Many of the financial concepts form the base of trading in the stock market throughout the world. It is because of this universality that management has become a multidisciplinary science and is accepted and taught everywhere around the world.
Management has become a more popular course and is most sought after discipline in every University.
8. Followers
Having followers is what makes a discipline itself. Like-minded people who accept a discipline become their followers and many of the devoted followers then attract the new followers or become as tutor to the new followers.
The same is the case in case of management where the senior-most management act as a guide to the manager of people who in turn acts as a guide to the new recruits in the organization. Knowledge thus flows from top to bottom, just like authority.
Thus Management shares many things with a discipline which is why it is compared to and also seen as a discipline. Management itself has become a universally accepted and respected discipline which has gathered many followers.
It has taken almost all the positive points of discipline and coupled with its features of art and the resulting combination is best of both worlds that is art, science as well as discipline.
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