SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT
⚫TOPIC : MANAGEMENT THEORY BY
F.W.TAYLOR
Dr. Aswini.J

SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT
⚫CONTENTS:
⚫ 1-TAYLOR’S CONTRIBUTION TO MANAGEMENT
⚫ 2-WHAT IS SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT ?
⚫ 3-MANAGEMENT THEORY BY TAYLOR.
⚫ 4- MANAGEMNET VIEW.
⚫ 5-PRINCIPLES OF SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT.
⚫ 6-CRITICISM FOR TAYLOR’S MANAGEMENT.
⚫ 7-HOW DO TODAY’S MANAGERS USE
SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT??

Taylor’s contribution to
management
⚫ Frederick Winslow Taylor (20 March 1856-21
March 1915), widely known as F. W. Taylor,
was an American mechanical engineer who
sought to improve industrial efficiency.
⚫ He is regarded as the father of scientific
management, and was one of the first
management consultants.
⚫ He is sometimes called as “Father of Scientific
Management”.

SCIENTIFIC
MANAGEMENT
⚫It is the art of knowing what exactly you
want from your men to do & then seeing
that it is done in best possible manner.
⚫In simple words it is just an application of
science to management.

MANAGEMENT THEORY BY
TAYLOR
⚫Analyzing the work – One best way to do
it.
⚫He is remembered for developing time
and motion study.
⚫He would break a job into parts and
measure each of 100th of a minute.
⚫The efforts of his disciples (most notably
H.L.Gantt) made the industry to
implement these ideas.

Taylor’s view about
management.
⚫Taylor believed that the industrial
management of his day was amateurish,
that management could be formulated as
an academic discipline.
⚫Best results would come from the
partnership between trained and
qualified management and a cooperative
and innovative workforce.
⚫Each side needed the other and there is no
need for trade unions.

Principles of scientific
management
⚫Science not the rule of thumb: scientific
investigation should be used for taking
managerial decisions instead of basing on
opinion, institution or thumb rule.
⚫Harmony not discard/ cooperation
between employers and employees:
Harmonious relationship between
employees and employers.
⚫Cooperation of employees that managers
can ensure that work is carried in

Cntd…
⚫ Scientific selection training and development:
selection means to choose the best employee
according to the need.
⚫ Their skill and experience must match the
requirement of the job.
⚫ Scientific development refers to criteria for
promotions, transfers etc.. So that work is done
with full efficiency.

Cntd…
⚫ Division of work/ responsibility: The responsibility
of workers and management should be properly
divided & communicated so that they can perform
them in an effective way and should be reward for
the same.
⚫ Mental revolution: Acc. To Taylor, the workers and
managers should have a complete new outlook; a
mental revolution in respect to their
mutual relations.
⚫ Workers should be considered as a part of
Organization.
⚫ Employers shouldn’t treat workers as mere wage
earners.

His principles of
management
⚫The four principles of management.
1. The development of a true science.
2. The scientific selection of the workman.
3. The scientific education and
development of the workman.
4. Intimate and friendly cooperation
between the management and the men.

⚫Taylor created planning departments, staffed
them with engineers, and gave them the
responsibility to:
1. Develop scientific methods for doing work.
2. Establish goals for productivity.
3. Establish systems of rewards for meeting the
goals.
4. Train the personnel in how to use the
methods and thereby meet the goals.

Words from Taylor

Criticism for scientific
management
⚫ The main argument against Taylor is this
reductionist approach to work dehumanizes
the worker.
⚫ The allocation of work "specifying not only
what is to be done but how it is to done and
the exact time allowed for doing it" is seen as
leaving no scope for the individual worker to
excel or think.
1. The belief that increased output would lead
to less workers.
2. Inefficiencies within the management
control system such as poorly designed
incentive schemes and hourly pay rates not
linked to productivity.

How do today’s managers use Scientific
Management
⚫ 1. It was important because it could raise
countries’ standard of living by making workers
more productive and efficient.
⚫ 2. Also it’s important to remember that many of
the tools and techniques developed by the
scientific management practitioners are still used
in organizations today.