MANAGEMENT AS PROFESSION

Profession is defined as an occupation based upon the specialized  intellectual  study and training, the purpose of which is to supply skilled service or advice to others for the definite fee or salary.

Characteristics of profession 

1. Existence of knowledge :

Profession emerges from the establishment of fact that there is a body of knowledge which cannot started around but has to be studied for being a successful professional. 

2. Acquisition of knowledge :

An individual can enter profession only after acquiring knowledge and skills through formal training for example, only the law graduates can enter the profession of legal practice.

3. Professional association :

An occupation which claims to be profession should have an association. However manager do not have single unified professional group like Indian medical council for medical practitioners from this new management cannot be termed as trade profession.

4. Ethical code :

For every profession some ethical standards are provided and every individual of the profession is expected to maintain conformity with these standards. In management also, code of conduct has been formulated to suggest the behavioral pattern for professional managers.

 5. Service motive:

 It is essential because the monetary value of professional service cannot be measured easily in absence of market mechanism except the competition among the professionals themselves. The success of any profession is measured not in terms of money. It earns but by the amount of social service it provides. Similarly contributions of management cannot be measured in terms of money alone because without integrating effort of management, resources worth millions of rupees may be useless.

Once organization grows beyond certain size, changes in the nature of management process demands that ownership and management should be divorced. So management positions should be held by persons who have professional skill and adequate training.