Financehome A supervisor is every bit as much a manager as a director, for however high the standard may be that is set by the top direction, however clear the patterns that are laid down, the whole process can founder if there is a weak link in the chain. Obvious examples are the cases of manufacturers whose poor labour relations upset the most carefully thoughtout merchandising policies, or a nationalized industry in which Board directions become dulled by the frustrations and intrigues of those whose job it is to carry them out. If it is accepted that management is a continuous process and that an effectively managed undertaking is one in which, from top to bottom, there is a clear understanding of management aims by people able to grasp and interpret them,_ihe search for definitions becomes less obscure. Management cannot be separated from leadership. This is not to say that management is leadership, for that would be another oversimplification; but it at least indicates that for those trying to determine the nature of management, pure management, although a science, a technique, needs to be buttressed by leadership and leadership is a mixture of art, craft, and humanity. 44 The Business of Management Let us express this thought in another way. Management today is responsive to a great number of techniques which take away many of the hazards. As suitable an example as any is that of work study. The worst miscalculations in the laying down of wage scales can be avoided, in many instances, if an analytical study of working methods is undertaken which takes proper cognizance of the true nature of the task. These principles are now almost a truism and have a wide acceptance throughout industry and commerce. Or market research. Much of the guesswork can be taken out of the evolution of a marketing policy if market research, properly planned and interpreted, is used to help chart a course. Or budgeting. Management is leaning more and more on clearly defined systems of controls production, sales, and financial in order to eliminate 'the hitormiss atmosphere in which many businesses are conducted. These are three random examples of techniques which contribute toward the creation of a form of management which may fairly be described as scientific. They are, so to say, 'musts' in conditions of competition, and desirable in any situation, competitive or otherwise. Each technique, in given circumstances, is invaluable to managers who want to know exactly where a business is going and how it is likely to fare on the way. But neither work study, nor market research, nor budgetary control is of value in itself if the leadership element is lacking. Work study must be carried out in a cooperative, receptive atmosphere; market research can only supply facts and is no substitute for dynamic marketing; budgetary controls are worthless if those who are expected to work them are not seized with their value. interior Planning