Scientific Management (1900-1915)

Frederick Winslow Taylor is called the father of scientific management. In this principle he
was concerned to increase efficiency in production and thereby improving economic
condition through increasing labor productivity. It was the first and foremost attempt by
him to apply science to the engineering of processes and to the management. This theory
also knows as Taylorism.
Some of the principles of scientific management propounded by F.W. Taylor are:

Principle Meaning
Science, Not Rule of He means that the organization should regularly adopt new
Thumb technologies in order to do their work quickly, easily and
efficiently and they should not get stuck in old ones.
Harmony, Not Here he believed that organisation should create an atmosphere
Discord: where labour and management consider each other
indispensable. He referred to such a situation as a ‘Mental
Revolution’.
Cooperation, Not All the activities must be carried in a spirit of mutual cooperation
Individualism: and not individually as this will increase involvement and
responsibility amongst workers.
Development of Each In this the efficiency of each and every person should be taken
and Every Person to care of right from his selection. A proper arrangement of
His / Her Greatest everybody’s training should be made.
Efficiency and
Prosperity

Apart from him Henry L. Gantt (1901) stressed the need of training and known as father of
scientific selection of workers.
Frank and Lillian Gilbreth (1900) focused on the human aspects of work and understanding
of workers personalities and need and hence known for his time and motion studies.