Science is a systematised body of knowledge that explains certain general truths or the operation of general laws. The basic features of science are as follows:
(i) Systematised body of knowledge: Science is a systematic body of knowledge. Its principles are based on a cause and effect relationship. For example, the phenomenon of an apple falling from a tree towards the ground is explained by the law of gravity. Management has a systematised body of knowledge. It has its own theory and principles that have developed over a period of time.
(ii) Principles based on experimentation: Scientific principles are first developed through observation and then tested through repeated experimentation under controlled conditions. The principles of management have evolved over a period of time based on repeated experimentation and observation in different types of organisations. However, since management deals with human beings and human behaviour, the outcomes of these experiments are not capable of being accurately predicted or replicated. Therefore, management can be called an inexact science.
(iii) Universal validity: Scientific principles have universal validity and application. Since the principles of management are not as exact as the principles of science, their application and use is not universal. They have to be modified according to a given situation. |
