Features of Scientific Management

F.W. Taylor (Frederick Winslow Taylor) is the father of scientific management. Taylor’s Scientific Management attempts to boost productivity by enhancing efficiency and wages of the workers. F.W. Taylor carried out a variety of tests at his workplace to discover how humans could be made more efficient by standardizing the work and improve methods for accomplishing the work.

Key Features of Scientific Management Theory

Separating Planning and Doing: F.W. Taylor stressed on the splitting up of planning part from actual doing of the work. Prior to scientific management, a personnel used to plan about how he had to work as well as what equipment were essential for that. The worker remained under the supervision of a gang boss. This actually created a number of problems, and Taylor emphasized that planning should be left to the supervisor and the worker needs to emphasize only operational work.

Functional Foremanship: Separating planning from actual doing lead to development of supervision system that could take planning work effectively in addition to supervising workers. For this specific function, Taylor developed the thought of functional foremanship founded on specialization of functions.

Job Analysis: Job analysis is carried out to uncover the best way of doing a task. The most effective way of performing a task is one, which usually demands least movements, as a result less time and expense. The best way of performing a task can be identified by taking up time-motion-fatigue studies. (a) Time study includes the determination of time. This assists in determining the fair work for a period. (b) Motion study includes the study of movements in parts, which are required in carrying out a task and thus getting rid of the inefficient movements and doing only essential movements. It minimizes the time consumed in doing a work and the exhaustion of employees. (c) Fatigue study reveals the amount and frequency of rest necessary in doing the task. After a certain interval, employees feel exhausted and can’t work with 100 % capacity. For that reason, they need rest in between.

Scientific Selection and Training Feature: Workers must be chosen on scientific basis considering their education, experience, skills, physical strength, etc. Employees should be offered work for which they are physically and technically perfect. Apart from selection, adequate importance needs to be given on the training of workers, which makes them more cost-effective and efficient.

Standardization: Wherever possible, standardization must be maintained with respect to equipment and tools, duration of work, volume of work, working environments, cost of production, etc. These factors should really be predetermined based on a job analysis besides other factors of costs which go in carrying out a work.

Incentives: Monetary Incentives can encourage individuals to put in their highest efforts. If terms exist to gain higher wages by putting in extra effort, workers are going to be motivated to earn more. Taylor personally utilized the technique of differential piece rate system, and it was highly motivating.

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Based on this scheme, a worker who finishes the standard work receives wages at better rate per piece and one who does not finish receives a lower rate. To make the differential piece rate system work, Taylor recommended that wages must be determined by individual performance and not according to his position.

Mental Revolution: Scientific management is dependent upon the co-operation among management and workers. It brings about a complete mental change in both parties. This is most crucial among key features of scientific management theory by F W Taylor because in its absence, no principle can be employed.

Economy: Scientific and technical elements need to be considered while applying scientific management. Furthermore, enough thought should be given to economy and profit. To achieve economy, methods of cost estimates and control must be adopted. The economy and profit is achievable by making the resources more productive in addition to reducing wastage.