In 1909, Frederick Winslow Taylor, the theorist,

published his book, 'The Principles of Scientific

Management,' where he proposed that productivity
can be increased by simplifying and optimising
jobs. He also provided a scientific logic that
productivity can be increased if there is a
cooperative relationship between workers and
managers.

Before this theory was published, the work culture

and work differed in business sectors. For example,
the factory managers had minimal contact with
workers; there was no motivation and
standardisation in the working culture. So, there
was no incentive and efficiency to work. But Taylor
was very interested in motivating people and
reducing inefficiency.

This article will briefly discuss Taylor's theory of

scientific management and Taylor's scientific
management principles. It will also focus on using
technology in Taylor's management theory and its
criticisms.
Definition of Taylor's
Scientific
Management
The concept of scientific management was
developed by FW Taylor, who implemented the
technique and scientific methods such as logic,
observation, combination, and analysis to study
working conditions and management to develop
the functional level in factories and production
units. The scientific management concept helps
improve productivity, effectiveness, and efficiency in
the organisation through scientific principles and
methods.

Taylor was an American mechanical engineer who

proposed and presented the concept of the
scientific method in management through technical
support. He is also known as the father of scientific
management. In his working experience and
observation, he noticed various factors that lead to
low productivity and inefficiency.

Some of them were:

• Poorly designed personal tools for

production

• Inefficiency in working-level and

unorganised training

• Inefficient hiring procedure

• Lack of proper planning, working, and

improper management
Taylor's Theory of
Scientific
Management for
Workers
Taylor believed that workers could be motivated by
money, and therefore, he promoted the idea of the
"a fair day's pay for a fair day's work" concept. If a
worker does not work well in a day, he won't be
paid his money for the day. Taylor's theory depends
on four basic principles, which state replacing the
regular working habits, also known as the 'rule of
thumb.' It simply means to include scientific
methods to implement in the working culture and
perform innovative work rather than hard work.

Rather than assigning workers for any job, it is

better to recruit employees according to their job
field and efficiency to motivate workers and keep
them interested in the work process.

Monitoring the working is also a part of scientific

management. Allocation of work between
managers and workers is also a part of the
principle. It will divide work according to
responsibility, allowing the manager to create a
proper plan to execute the overall working process.
Principles on the
Management Process
Taylor proposed the following scientific
management principles:

• Science, Not Rule of Thumb

Managers make decisions based on their

judgments as a rule of thumb. Taylor claims that
even minor industrial activities may be organised
appropriately. This will assist in saving both time
and human energy. Decisions must be based on
scientific research that includes cause and effect
linkages.

• Harmony, Not Discord

Taylor underlined the need for total harmony

between staff and management. Any dispute
between them harms either the employees or the
management. Both management and employees
must recognize the value of the other.

• Mental Revolution

The Mental Revolution approach entails a shift in

the attitudes of staff and supervisors toward one
another. Both parties must recognize the value of
the other and act in tandem. Both management
and employees should strive to raise the
organisation's revenues. Workers must make
reasonable efforts to ensure that the firm profits
and management share a portion of the earnings
with the workers. As a result, mental revolution
necessitates a total shift in both management and
labour mindsets.
• Cooperation, Not Individualism

This idea, which is an outgrowth of the concept of

'Harmony, not Discord,' emphasises reciprocal
collaboration between employees and
management. Cooperation, mutual trust, and a
spirit of generosity should exist among managers
and employees. The goal is to replace internal
rivalry with collaboration.

• Individual growth to achieve maximum

efficiency and profitability

To a large part, the efficiency of every organisation

is determined by the talents and competencies of
its people. As a result, providing workers with
training was deemed necessary for them to
understand the best way established via a scientific
methodology. To achieve efficiency, actions should
be made, beginning with the personnel selection
process. Workers should be chosen using scientific
methods.

Taylor's Technique of Scientific Management

Fedrick Winslow Taylor imposed various scientific

management techniques to enhance workers'
productivity and the functioning of organisations.
These techniques were mainly proposed for the
manufacturing and production industry. Let's leorn
obout these techniques in detail.

1. Functional Foremanship: Taylor believed

that to improve operational activities, it is
necessary to have tactical skills,
intelligence, knowledge, education, energy,
leadership, honesty, and good health. He
knew that it is difficult for an individual to
possess all these skills at a time.Therefore,
he divided managerial activities into two
parts, i.e., planning and production.
Moreover, he suggested obtaining four
clerks under each in charge who hold
expertise in their respective areas so that
charges are not overburdened.

1. Work-study: The work-study was proposed

to analyse the details of human work and
investigate various factors like time study,
3. Scientific task setting: Taylor felt the need
to introduce a scientific task setting to
decide a payday's work for a worker.
Eventually, the method can help prevent
the workers from performing functions, not
in their capacity.

4. The scientific setting of wage rates:

Fedrick Winslow Taylor suggested fixing
workers' wages to produce the standard
output. Therefore, he gave an idea to
introduce a different piece wage system.

5. Scientific selection and training: A

systematic selection procedure should be
done so that the organisation can get its
potential workers. It includes the
employee's selection, training, experience,
and efficiency.

6. Differential piece-rate plan: The different

piece-rate plan was suggested to attract
the workers to contribute to the
organisation. Taylor suggested paying
wages to the workers based on their
capability and the amount of production
done daily.

Conclusion
While working in a steel manufacturing company in
the US, F.W Taylor experimented with the workplace
environment and determined the optimal
performance level. By working on the project for
several days, he designed his theory and thus
developed the best way to complete a task. In
addition, his theory has provided various aspects of
technology and scientific methods to engage
employees with the company and increase their
productivity and efficiency.

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