Management as Liberal Arts

Management as Liberal Art
Karen E Linletter and Joseph A. Marciariello
Source: “Chapter 1, The Drucker Difference, What the World's Greatest Management Thinker Means to Today's Business Leaders”, Graig L. Pearce, Joseph A. Marciariello, Hideki Yamawaki (Editors), Mc Graw-Hill 2010

Definition
  1. LinkLetter and Marciariello:
      a. A skill or craft practiced by a free citizen who had the time and means for study; in its classical sense, education in the liberal arts was meant for elite, ruling class of society. Liberal art training was meant for citizens to be society’s leaders.
      b. The ideal of artes liberales education was to instill standards of conduct and character, knowledge/mastery of a body of texts, a respect for societal values and standards and an appreciation for knowledge and truth.
      c. As the Roman Empire collapsed, the church incorporated the classical ideals and curriculum in the Christian education, infusing it with new religious mission.
  2. Drucker
      d. Management is what tradition used to call a 'liberal art‘. Called 'liberal' because it deals with the fundamentals of knowledge, self-knowledge, wisdom, and leadership. Called   'art' because it is practice and application
      e. Manager (should) draw on all knowledge and insight of the humanities and the social sciences – on psychology and philosophy, on economic and history, on ethics as well as on the physical sciences.   But they have to focus this knowledge on the effectiveness and result – on healing sick patients, teaching as student, building a bridge, designing and selling a user friendly” software program

Background
  1. In late 2008 and early 2009, American public disenchantment with corporate America. This is made people think that corporations have lost their moral compass and the capitalism breeds greed and lust power
  2. Drucker saw the paradox that :
      a. The oorganization has power, however this power must provide human being with... [continues]

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