A Professor in management from one of the leading institutes of management was invited to lead a seminar for the top 50 managers of Scientific Research Corporation (SRC}. This seminar was of great significance because the SRC was spending about Rs.5.5 crores per year on its space programmes.

In the course of the seminar, when professor was warming to his subject and giving a disclosure on how important management theory was and the various techniques for improving the quality of management, a distinguished looking gentleman(who was unknown to the speaker but was a leading scientist at the SRC)rose from his seat and said:

'Sir, we are very interested in your disclosure which verily has a great deal of intellectual content in it. But, for your benefit and for the benefit of all of us gathered here, I would like to say that, while management may apply to Hindustan Lever, Delhi Cloth Mill, Associated cements, and even to our government agencies like the Indian Revenue Service, it does not apply here. We are scientists and researchers, and we do not need or want management'.

The professor was understandably quite taken aback by this and proceeded to illustrate why scientists also needed management.

Questions:

1. Suppose that you were the professor leading the seminar, what would you have said at this point?

2. Can you explain why such an intelligent top scientist would have made such a statement?

Please help me with your valuable responses.

Regards,

Latha