Taylor's Principles of Scientific Management: Key Insights

Frederick Winslow Taylor laid out a few principles, which show that the implementation of scientific management can increase the overall efficiency of the business. He brought about a revolution in the conventional methods of administration.

F.W. Taylor published his principles of scientific management theory through a monograph in 1911. He was one of the intellectual leaders who applied his engineering methods to create a specialised branch of engineering, known as industrial engineering.

Taylor’s vision lay in transferring control of work from the worker’s hands to the management. He believed that by adhering to his principles, an organisation could earn substantially higher than from following conventional management practices.

The scientific methods helped in creating revolutionary ideas for a business, such as training of employees, proper staffing, etc. 

Fun Fact: F.W. Taylor is known as the ‘father of scientific management.

Historical Considerations

Frederick Winslow Taylor was one of the first of these thinkers. He was the founder of the Scientific Management movement, and he and his colleagues were the first to scientifically investigate the work process. They looked at how people did their jobs and how it affected their productivity. Taylor's theory was based on the idea that forcing individuals to work as hard as they could was inefficient compared to improving the way they worked.

Taylor's book "The Principles of Scientific Management" was published in 1909. He claimed that increasing productivity might be achieved by streamlining and simplifying jobs. He also promoted the idea of workers and managers cooperating with one another. This was a significant departure from how work was normally done in firms in the past.

About Fredrick Taylor

• Frederick Winslow Taylor was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1856 and died in 1915.

• Taylor studied and travelled throughout Europe as a youth before enrolling at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire in 1872.

• He was admitted into Harvard Law School after graduation but was unable to go owing to bad eyesight.

• Taylor then worked in different manufacturing-related jobs instead of going to university, finally earning a mechanical engineering degree from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1883 and becoming Chief Engineer at Midvale Steel Works in Philadelphia.

• He became General Manager of Manufacturing Investment Company after resigning in 1890 but departed in 1893 to pursue a career in engineering management consultancy. Taylor served as President of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers from 1906 to 1907 and then became a professor at Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business.

• Taylor's book "Principles of Scientific Management," published in 1911, is his most famous work. He introduced various management concepts based on the scientific method that might improve the efficiency and productivity of industrial settings in this book.

• Taylor is renowned as the "Father of Scientific Management," sometimes known as "Taylorism," as a result of his work.

Reason behind Scientific Management

Because of insufficient capacity and/or education, Taylor felt that workers should be focused on labour, while managers should be held accountable for optimising performance. Workers, in particular, would profit from this approach since it would result in higher salaries, shorter working hours, and better work and home conditions. While Taylor's Theory of Scientific Management has a reputation for being cold and impersonal, this is not the case; his philosophy had good intentions for everyone, and the difficulties stem from inadequate implementation.

What are the Principles of Scientific Management?

In a broader sense, Taylor principles of management is a set of theories that dismisses those traditional ways and rule-of-thumb techniques of managing the workforce. It accepts the application of scientific methods to provide solutions to managerial problems.

It works based on the five principles of management. These include:

1. Scientific ways, instead rule-of-thumb method: Taylor believed that instead of using conventional methods, all industries should adopt the scientific techniques for essential management decisions. According to him, even the smallest activity can be done through proper scientific planning instead of rule-of-thumb.

Now, what is a rule-of-thumb method? It is a principle that provides simple advice that should be followed in almost all situations. This method develops as a result of experience instead of proper technical research.

Under Taylor’s scientific management theory, decisions are made based on the application of these methods to a problem. He believed that management should make decisions based on cause and effect relationships instead of traditional opinions.

2. Harmony without any discord: F.W. Taylor indicated that there should be complete harmony between management and its labourers. He believed that it would increase the workflow in an organisation. A clear understanding can bring efficiency to work and create a harmonious relationship between the two components.

According to him, an organisation can increase its productivity if it reduces disputes with the labourers. Workers should not be over-burdened with the workload, and businesses should understand their requirements.

3. Mental Revolution: Under this principle, both the management and the workers should change their mental approach towards each other. The adoption of scientific methods would bring about a complete shift in the attitude of both the organisation and its employees. He believed that without a mental revolution, there is no scientific management.

The most significant change can take place when an organisation matches their vision with workers. To him, a business can increase its potential when both the top and lower levels of management share similar perspectives.

4. Coordination between management and workers: Under the Taylor scientific management, there should be complete cooperation between the administration and its workers. It can result in optimum output when a business goes hand-in-hand with its employees.

Both the managers and workers should understand each other’s requirements and work in collaboration. Taylor believed that an individual alone could not optimise the efficiency of work. It requires teamwork, and proper coordination between the different layers of management to increase productivity.

5. Optimum output: The principle states that any organisation’s growth depends on the skills of its workers. Thus, the scientific approach believes in proper staffing and employee training to maximise output.

The aim of both the management and its workers should be optimising output. Maximum output results in increasing the profits for any business, and it will ensure benefits to both the administration and its workers.

What is the Importance of Scientific Management?

Taylor’s principles of management are known worldwide due to their undeniable significance in the field of management. Some reasons have been explained below:

• These principles direct businesses to properly allocate their resources and earn maximum profits.

• It ensures quality management and allows a business to strengthen its relations with employees.

• These guidelines ensure that a business can increase its productivity by scientifically directing all employees toward the desired objective.

Conclusion

F.W. Taylor published his principles of scientific management theory through a monograph in 1911. He believed that by adhering to his principles, an organisation could earn substantially higher than from following conventional management practices. Taylor's theory was based on the idea that forcing individuals to work as hard as they could would be inefficient compared to improving the way they worked.