Frederick Taylor's theory of scientific ---- (ANOTHER SOURCE) ----

management developed techniques for

improving the efficiency of the work
Fredrick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915)
process. Based on a systematic study of
was a pioneer in the field of scientific
people, tasks and work behavior, Taylor's
Management. He is regarded as the father
theory broke the work process down into
of Scientific Management. Taylor
the smallest possible units, or sub-tasks, in
published his work Principles of Scientific
an effort to determine the most efficient
Management in the year 1911 A.D.
method possible for completing a
particular job. Taylor started as a worker in Midvale Steel
Company and he was promoted to chief
Taylor's method consisted of testing the engineer. Later he joined Bethlehem Steel
completion of various tasks to determine Company. After his retirement, he worked
the optimal amount of work that could be as a consulting engineer.
accomplished within a certain time period.
Taylor's management theory asserts that His vast experience of managing people
organizations should identify the best way led him to experiment and understand
to do a job, train workers to handle each how to manage a company in the most
element in a pre-determined manner scientific manner. He experimented how
(instead of basing their work on their own to increase an efficiency of manpower and
personal discretion) and set up an get maximum profit.
equitable system of rewards for improved According to F.W Taylor- Scientific
productivity. Taylor's theory brought Management means knowing exactly what
numerous improvements to you want men to do and seeing that they do
organizational management during a in the best and the cheapest way
period when an autocratic management
style was the norm. Some developments So we can understand that scientific
that resulted from the Taylor theory of management is the art of knowing what is
management are these: to be done and how it is to be done.
During his time in the companies, he
1. Significantly improved productivity; worked he found out that there were no
any specific ideas guiding the action of
2. Increased employee incentive; management but managers used a rule of
thumb. There was no proper division of
3. Widespread improvements in quality responsibilities among the labor and
control; managers. The resources were not fully
utilized which led to less output.
4. Better personnel practices; and
So Taylor saw the need to make
5. Greater cooperation between management scientific with well-defined
management and workers with a ideas and fixed principles rather than
consistent application of Taylor s depending on hazy ideas.
theory of management.
The principles of Scientific Management
by Taylor
1. Science, not a rule of thumb: the employee to work and the
The first principle of the scientific employee must focus on the greater
management aims to replace the goal.
traditional rule of thumb approach
in management. Rule of thumb
4. Maximum output:
means general assumptions or
According to this principle, a
rules that are made on the basis of
business organization must always
past experiences or practice. So this
be focused towards maximizing the
principle suggests there must be
profit and productivity. There
scientific analysis and study of any
should be an optimum utilization of
job and only after the investigation,
resources and maximum effort by
an action should be conducted.
the manpower to generate the
maximum output for the
2. Harmony, not discord: organization.
In the process of
management,there is a relationship
5. Division of responsibility:
between a manager and an
This principle divides the role of
employee. So there will be two
planning and executing among the
different interest. There will be a
employer and the employee. The
personal interest of the employee
employer should be given the role
and there will be organizational
of only planning and the employee
interest. So this principle states
should focus on only operating to
that both this interest should go
execute the plans. By this there will
side by side. There must be a
be no confusion regarding their
harmony of interest and should be
roles and there will be a smooth
focused towards attaining the
operation of action.
organizational goals with mutual
benefit of both the employee and
the organization. 6. Development of employees:
According to Taylor, there must be
a scientific selection of human
3. Co-operation, not individualism:
resources and once they are
According to this principle, there
selected they must be trained and
should be a feeling of co-operation
developed in such a way that they
between the manager and the
can work to their maximum
labor. If there will be a feeling of
capacity for the organization. The
personal interest then the
success of the organization
organizational goals cannot be
depends on the efforts of the most
obtained hence both manager and
competent employees. So they
the employee should focus on the
must be trained and groomed
organizational goals. So there
providing essential facilities and
needs to be a mental revolution in
growth.
both the mind of the employee and
the employer. The employer must There are many merits of Scientific
provide a suitable environment for Management such as improvement of
efficiency for maximum output, 4. Monotonous and Frustration:
development of skills of employees and In Taylors scientific Management a
improving the productivity. But there are worker has to do a certain job to the
some criticisms by employers, workers, best capacity. So there is a
and experts which cannot be overlooked. specialization of the job. But there
Some of the limitations of Taylors is monotonous and dullness which
Scientific Management are: can cause mental fatigue. Due to
lack of creativity and originality,
1. Focus only on Employees: employees might face frustration.
Taylors scientific management
gives too much emphasis to the
5. Ignores Human Factor:
workers. It does not address other
Workers are just taken as economic
problems that might come up in an
tools by the scientific management
organization. In a way, it is also
of FW Taylor. The Principle
criticized that it exploits the
believes that employees are only
workers and there is no wage rise
motivated by money. But this is not
system along with a rise in the
true in all the cases. Human beings
productivity.
are motivated by other factors as
well such as human dignity, moral
2. No best way: values, respect, and care etc. So the
Taylors scientific management Scientific Management of Taylor
tries to find the best solution to run neglects the human side of Labor.
an organization but in practice,
there is no one best way to run an
6. Supply without considering
organization. There are many
Market Demand:
employees of different background
According to Taylor, maximizing
and perspectives. So all cannot be
production helps in maximizing
treated in the same way. So there
sales which eventually leads to high
cannot be one best approach in
profit. But it is not true as the
management.
supply must be made with respect
to the demand of the market. If
3. Separation of planning and supply is more than the demand
doing: then there will be over utilization of
Planning and executing are resources and inventory cost will
separated in Taylors scientific increase. So supply and production
management. According to F.W should not be maximum but should
Taylor- Planning should be a be optimum depending on market
responsibility of employers and demand.
execution of plans should lie to the
Hence even though Taylors scientific
employees. But in practice
management was the base for the
planning and executing are closely
management principles in the early days of
related and both cannot be
management principles, it has the above
separated.
limitations. Some of such other limitations
are expensive and time-consuming for
small firms, ignores the subjects such as
delegation of authority, flow of
information, motivational aspect of
management etc.