ASSIGNMENT ON

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

TOPIC: SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT THEORY

SUBMITTED BY SUBMITTED TO
BULLO KANIO DR. BANASMITA
BA APPLIED MAAM
PSYCHOLOGY
ROLL NO: 212062006
3RD SEM
 CONTENT

SL.NO TOPICS

1. INTRODUCTION

2. PRINCIPLES OF SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT THEORY

3. FEATURES OF SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT THEORY

4. GOALS OF SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT THEORY

5. LIMITATIONS OF SCIENTIFIV MANAGEMENT THEORY

6. CRITICISMS OF SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT THEORY

7. CONCLUSION
 INTRODUCTION

Scientific management theory is an objective approach that leads to economic efficiency

and workflow productivity in an organization. Frederick Winslow Taylor, the father of
scientific management theory, used it as a management practice in the manufacturing
sector back in the late 19th century.
Frederick Winslow Taylor, who formulated the scientific management theory, came up with
a solution for the inefficiency by observing worker productivity through scientific methods.
According to Taylor, the ‘remedy for the inefficiency lies in systematic management’. He
believed that workers are not inherently lazy. Bad working conditions are a reason for their
inefficiency. But this is not the only reason for the worker’s inefficiency. Taylor identified
two more reasons causing it. One was that workers cannot produce the desired output in a
given time. Second, the job was not understood by the worker and was done
wrong. Scientific management theory aims to analyse the workflow of workers to improve
labour productivity which leads to improved economic efficiency. By improving efficiency, it
reduces the waste of resources and time. Taylor proposed an empirical observation of how
employees in an organization worked. And in his research, he focused on the routine tasks
of the employees. Then, in his management methods, he would look into the equipment or
technology used and try to customize it for the worker’s ease of use. Taylor proposed that
every task of the labourer must be planned in advance by a dedicated department. This
approach led to the idea of a systematic organizational structure that is found in Max
Weber’s bureaucratic management theory.

Taylor said that procedures and principles of scientific management theory (SMT) are
applied to an organisation , it can bring huge changes on certain things and these things are:
1. Prevent the wastage of time.
2. Reduce the cost of production.
3. Increase the efficiency of the workers.
4. Develop the relationship between the workers and the managers.

Simply , scientific management theory is a theory of management which analysis the work
flow in an organisations and its major purpose is to improve the labour productivity and
economic efficiency . Also it was an old effort to apply science to the procedure of
management.

Principles of Scientific Management Theory

Mentioned below are the four principles that are still followed by many organizations in
different industries in some form or the other.

First Principle – Replace the “rule of thumb” with science and standardization
There should only be one method of working. It must be defined scientifically. According to
Taylor, the best way to do a job must be determined beforehand in a scientific fashion. If
workers have devised their own ways of working, it will not lead to productivity.
The ‘ways of working’ here refer to the tools used. These tools must be standardized and that
will remove the factor of bad working conditions.
There should be no rule of thumb, nor any trial and error for any job. That way, the worker’s
performance will increase.

Second Principle – The Right Person for the Job

For any job, the management should hire the right person for the right job. That worker
should have the necessary skills to perform the tasks to fruition. The management should also
hire a worker knowing they will have challenges too. For that, training workers would be
required once they are selected. Then the worker should be introduced to standardized tools
for their work process.

Third Principle – Proper Division of Work Between Workers and Managers

The core functions of management ,planning, organising, controlling, and directing, must be
adopted by the organization. The worker who is assumed to be able to work should not be
assumed to know and apply these facets of management. By assigning the worker with the
correct workload, there can be a better mutual understanding between two parties, and will
further eliminate uncertainties in the future.

Fourth Principle – Collaboration Between Workers and Managers

Workers and managers should work in harmony, according to this principle. It is the
responsibility of the management to create a healthy environment for the workers by
eliminating distrust. For that, there should be clear communication and development of team
spirit.

Features of Scientific Management Theory

1. It is universal in nature: Its principles are applicable to all kinds of

organisations and also to all level of management .Therefore , they are
universal
2. Flexibility: Taylor argued that there are some flexible features of an
organisations , for example: dynamic guidelines, non-static rules ,sufficient
room for managerial discretion , modification and improvement.
3. Cause and effect relationship: It indicates what will be the result of a particular
action so if one is known than other can be detected.
4. It aims at influencing human behaviour: Human behaviour is not simple and
predictable . Therefore, it always tries to deal with human behaviour , so that
empty can able to give the best result.
5. Scientific selection, training and development of workers: In an organisation,
the workers must be selected , trained and developed through a scientific way.
6. Equal division of responsibility: Each has to ensure the equal division of
responsibility between management and workers.
Goals of Scientific Management
Scientific management theory aims to increase efficiency so that revenue is increased. This
can be achieved through the following goals.
Improving productivity by standardizing tools to achieve a high production rate.
Ensuring quality is consistent in products through research and quality control.
Introducing cost control techniques to minimize the cost of production
Making sure consumers find a regular supply of goods

Limitations of Scientific Management Theory

There are a few criticisms of this scientific theory of management.
The basic limitation is that workers are not treated humanely, as the focus is only on
productivity and efficiency. There is no concern for the emotional or psychological well-
being of the employees.
Focusing on one type of skill, the other skills the worker may have are not considered in this
theory. So any initiative a worker may have is not considered by the management.
Doing the same kind of work can lead to monotony in the future.
Too much focus on performance based on time can demotivate employees. This can lead to
absenteeism. It can also adversely affect their mental states, of which the theory is
unconcerned with.

Criticism of Scientific Management Theory

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.
RELEVANCE OF SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT AND
CONCLUSION:
Even though it drew a lot of criticism, the significance of this theory can never be
underestimated as it is the one that gave rise to the growth of management science and the
theories that followed. Taylor was not totally against human relations as one can see he
mentioned in one of his basic principles that there should be a ' mutual collaboration of
workers and management'(read it in detail above) and many more. It helped managements in
many organisations overcome worker issues in the US successfully and for the long term.
That us why his ideas spread to all parts of the world and also to socialist countries like
Russia. And it is also being followed in India even now. This shows its importance and
relevance to organisations irrespective of the nature of economy. Taylor's theory brought a
practical solution to the enormous problems of complex and growing organisations in the
Industrial revolution peak and also lead to alleviate many problems of workers as well as
management and also the issues between the both.