BCom Notes Part II Management Main elements of Scientific Management

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Main elements of Scientific Management

What is Scientific Management? Discuss the main elements of Scientific Management. OR

Discuss the contribution of Frederick W. Taylor to the theory of Management.

Definition of Scientific Management

Frederick Taylor

Scientific management means knowing exactly what you want men to do and seeing that they do it in the best and the cheapest way.

Kimball and Kimball

An attitude that aims to replace (I think with I know). It points out the method of intelligently directing the construction and arrangement of factory buildings, the character of methods and processes, the organizations of departments, the elimination of wastes and increase of efficiency in all phases of industrial administration where experience and date are applicable.

Peter F. Drucker

The operational study of work, the analysis of work into its simplest elements and the systematic improvement of worker’s performance of each element.

In a nutshell, scientific management represents a body of knowledge that is concerned primarily with the discovery of casual relationships (i.e. cause and effect relationships) i.e. cause and effect relationship between the efforts expended for a given objective, and the results of these efforts, with special emphasis on the discovery of the best method in the light of the available man-power, materials, and technology.

Frederick W. Taylor

Taylor started his career as an apprentice (laborer) in a small machine shop in Philadelphia in 1876. Owing to his sincerity of purpose and devotion to duty, he joined the Midvale Steel Works in 1878 as a machinist and then became a foreman and later rose to the position of the chief engineer. He wrote five books and four papers Shop Management is his important book. In the later part of his career, he worked as management consultant of a steel company.

Principles of Scientific Management

Taylor’s concept of scientific management consisted especially of a scientific approach to management. Its primary objective was to replace methods based on trail and error and rule of thumb (i.e., practical sense and experience rather than exact rules or calculations). The principles of scientific management may be listed as follows.

1. Development of a true science for each element of a man’s job to replace the old rule of thumb method.

2. The scientific selection, education, training and development of workers for every job.

3. An almost equal distribution or work and responsibility between management and workmen, management entrusted with the planning of work and workmen to look after the execution of plans.

4. Intimate, friendly cooperation between management and workers to ensure that work is done in accordance with the principles of the science which have been developed in accordance with the planned jobs and tasks.

The aims of concepts of scientific management may be summed up as follows:

• Science, not rule of thumb (i.e., not methods based no practical sense and experience rather than exact rulers or calculations).
• Harmony, not discord.
• Cooperation, not individualism.
• Maximum output in place of restricted output.
• Development of each individual to his greatest efficiency and prosperity.