Management thought did not develop in one day. As organisations grew from small workshops to large factories and service organisations, managers faced new problems: low productivity, wastage, indiscipline, unclear authority, and later, employee dissatisfaction and conflict. Different thinkers tried to solve these problems, so we got different “schools” of management.
In this topic, we study four major contributions:
Theories evolved due to practical problems:
Managers wanted answers to questions like:
Taylor is known as the Father of Scientific Management. He believed that productivity can be improved by studying work scientifically rather than relying on “rule of thumb”.
Observe work → break into elements → measure time → improve method → standardise → train + incentives
Fayol looked at management from the top and tried to develop universal principles.
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Management thought did not develop in one day. As organisations grew from small workshops to large factories and service organisations, managers faced new problems: low productivity, wastage, indiscipline, unclear authority, and later, employee dissatisfaction and conflict. Different thinkers tried to solve these problems, so we got different “schools” of management.
In this topic, we study four major contributions:
Theories evolved due to practical problems:
Managers wanted answers to questions like:
Taylor is known as the Father of Scientific Management. He believed that productivity can be improved by studying work scientifically rather than relying on “rule of thumb”.
Observe work → break into elements → measure time → improve method → standardise → train + incentives
Fayol looked at management from the top and tried to develop universal principles.
Fayol’s ideas are helpful for:
Weber studied large organisations (government, big firms) and said that efficiency comes from a rational-legal system called bureaucracy.
The Human Relations approach highlighted that people are not only motivated by money; social and psychological factors matter a lot.
Conducted at Western Electric (Hawthorne Works). Initially, they studied physical conditions like lighting, but they found something surprising:
This led to the idea of the Hawthorne effect:
Managers should use:
Modern management uses a mix (no single theory fits every case):
From this topic
Any three features of scientific management are:
These features aim to increase productivity and reduce wastage in operations.
Taylor and Fayol differ mainly in their focus and level:
So, Taylor improves how work is done, while Fayol explains how management should be practiced in the organisation.
Taylor’s scientific management means managing work by scientific study instead of rule of thumb. The aim is to increase efficiency, reduce wastage, and raise productivity.
Job analysis → Best method → Standardisation → Training → Incentives → Higher productivity
If applied without care, it may create fatigue and ignore social needs; therefore modern managers balance efficiency with human factors.