Scientific management

Scientific Management (F. TAYLOR)

• Developed by Frederick Taylor

• The use of the scientific method to determine the one best way for a job to be done.

• The systematic study of the relationships between people and tasks to redesign the work for higher efficiency. Taylor sought to reduce the time a worker spent on each task by optimizing the way the task was done.

Four principles to increase efficiency:

• The development of a true science of management, so that the best method for performing each task could be determined. Study the way the job is performed now and determine new ways to do it.

• Codify the new method into rules. The selection of workers so that each worker would be given responsibility for the task for which he or she was best suited.

• The scientific education and development of the worker.

• Intimate, friendly cooperation between management and labour. Establish a fair level of performance and pay for higher performance.

Taylor contended that the success of these principles required a complete mental revolution on the part of management and labour. Rather than quarrel over profits, both sides should try to increase production; by so doing, he believed, profits would rise to such an extent that labour and management would no longer have to fight over them. In short, Taylor believed that management and labour had a common interest in increasing productivity.

Criticisms

1. Exploitation of Workers

Taylor's Scientific Management put unnecessary pressures on the employees to perform the work faster. Importance was given to productivity and profitability. This resulted in exploitation of the employees. Therefore, many employees joined trade unions. This also resulted in mistrust between management and employees.

2. Problem of Unity of Command

Taylor used functional foremanship. So, the workers have to report to eight bosses. This breaks the principle of unity of command, where the workers have to report to only one boss. Lack of unity of command can create confusion and chaos in the organisation.

3. Mechanical Approach

Taylor's approach was a mechanical approach. He gave too much importance to efficiency. He did not consider the human element. Taylor considered workers as robots, which could speed up the work at any cost.

4. Problem of Separation of Planning from Doing

Taylor said to separate planning from doing. In reality, we cannot separate planning from doing. The planners should also be engaged in doing, then only they will be able to make realistic plans for the organisation.

5. Individualistic Approach

Taylor's scientific management gives too much importance to individual performance and not to group performance. However, the success of an organisation depends not only on individual performance of workers, but also on group performance of workers.

6. Wrong Assumptions

Taylor assumed that workers are motivated only by financial gains. However, in reality, workers are motivated not financial incentives but also by social needs and personal egos.

7. Narrow Application

Taylor's scientific management has narrow application. It can be applied only when the performance of the workers can be measured quantitatively. It can be applied only for factories where the performance can be measured quantitatively. It cannot be used in the service sector because in this sector the performance of a person cannot be measured quantitatively.

Administrative Management (H. FAYOL)

• Developed by Henri Fayol(1841-1925)

• Fayol's "14 Principles" was one of the earliest theories of management to be created, and remains one of the most comprehensive. He is considered to be among the most influential contributors to the modern concept of management, even though people don't refer to "The 14 Principles" often today.

Henri Fayol’s 14 principles of management

• Division of Labour- Work should be divided among individuals and groups to ensure that effort and attention are focused on special portions of the task. The more people specialize, the more efficiently they can perform their work.

• Authority- Managers must give orders so that they can get things done. While their formal authority gives them the right to command, managers will not always compel obedience unless they have personal authority such as relevant expertise as well.

• Discipline-

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