Scientific Management Theory : The Basics

Though some attempts were made earlier to study organisational problems,particularly its Engineering problems,the real study in an organised way is recorded through the Scientific Management,with Taylor,Frank Gilbraith,Lillian Gilbraith,Henry Gnatt and Harrington Emerson are associated.They have investigated the effective use of human beings in industrial organisations and studied primarily the use of human beings as adjuncts to machines in the performance of routine tasks.The area of human behaviour in organisations investigated by them is quite narrow and the theories in human behaviour in this approach encompass primarily physiological variables.As such thid is also referred to as physiological organisation theory.
    The Scientific Management group has been most concerned with the kind of tasks that are performed on the production floor or at the operative levels.These tasks arr quite different from other tasks in the organisation.First,they are largely repettive so that the daily activity of an individual worker can be divided into a large number of cyclical repetition of essentially the same,or closely related,activities.Secondly,the tasks do not require towards the standardisation of working methods.This is what Scientific Management group has done.Taylor,on the basis of his experiments of Midvale and bethlehem, perceived several new functions of managers.These are:

1. Replacing rule of thumb method with scientific determination of each element of a man's job.
2. Scientific selection and training of workmen.
3. Co-operation of management and labour to accomplish work in accountability between managers and workmen.

Taylor has given various principles of scientific management as follows:

1. Separation of planning from doing.
2. Function foremanship of supervision,having eight different supervisors to give instructions in their respective fields.
3. Job Analysis,based on time,motion,fatigue studies to determine fair amount of work.
4. Standardisation of tools,period of work,working conditions and cost of production.
5. Scientific selection and training of workmen.
6. Financial incentives to motivate workmen.