The Loss of Balance between the Art and Science of Management: Observations on the British Experience of Education for Management in the 20th Century

Overview & Synopsis

This essay considers the developments in education for management in 20th-century Britain. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that is, the highpoint of the United Kingdom's economic success, management was considered more of an art than a science, and formal education specifically for management was limited. After the Second World War, Lyndall Urwick's Committee on Education for Management promoted more "scientific" approaches to management and a greater emphasis on "practical" aspects of management. However, the Urwick Report still promoted a degree of balance between the art and the science of management. But as the State and society began to stress the economic contribution of education, as management education came to be dominated by universities, and as the nature of the U.K. economy changed, the provision of broad, liberal education fell by the wayside. Specialization and expertise became the measure of value. But specialization and expertise have revealed themselves to be of limited value in an increasingly complex environment. To help students prosper in their 21st-century careers, what may be needed is a refocusing on the "habits of mind" and intellectual skills fostered by a broad and balanced curriculum.