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Scientific Management Theory vs Human Relation Theory

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Iaonibutina Tirintetaake
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SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT THEORY VS HUMAN RELATIONS THEORY
BY IAONIBUTINA TIRINTETAAKE

The organization successfulness depends on how well the employer apply different approaches to
manage their employee. Employee considered as the main assets of the company in terms of their
skills and their performance that is valuable to the organization success (Mayhew, 2017).
Managing employee is a great task to the employer, because he/she will try to guide the employee
in day-to-day according to the organization’s objectives. Thus, Taylor and Mayo were introduced
a ‘scientific management theory and Human relations theory’ to help the employer to increase the
productivity of the workplace. However, this essay consist of two part; the first part is to discuss
the main features of Taylor’s ‘scientific management theory’ and Mayo’s ‘Human Relations
theory’. The last part of the essay is to discuss major differences and similarities of this two
theories, scientific management theory and Human Relations theory.
Firstly, scientific management theory was introduced by Frederick Winslow Taylor with the aim
of ‘increasing productivity and reducing labor cost’ (Chand, 2017). According to Taylor,
“scientific management means knowing exactly what you want men to do and then see in that they
do it in the best and cheapest way’. However, the features of scientific management are systematic
approach, discard traditional management, requires strict observance of rules and improves the
efficiency of workers. Systematic approach is ensure that all activities where accomplish in a
systematic and scientific manner. Here, systematic approach simply means that the production
process was systematically flow while employees were selected, trained and allocated to a
particular areas with a specific task to do in order to complete the process efficiently. For example,
in USA the founder of Ford Company named Ford was adopted scientific management system for
producing a cars (Chand, 2017). Discard traditional management is another features of scientific
management which discard a rule-of-thumb work methods with a method based on a scientific
study of the tasks (Chand 2017). According with Samiksha (2016) she describes that the traditional
management was discarded for the aim of improving the efficiency of the employee in the
workplace. Another features of scientific management, require strict observance of rules, means
that employee were required to follow or stick to rules and procedure that set by the employer. In
this features, employee are considered as a robotic machines and are closely monitored
(Businessay.net, 2017). Therefore, scientific management was introduced by Taylor to improve
employee’s efficiency at work as well as cutting down the cost of labor.
Secondly, Human Relations theory was introduced by Professor Elton Mayo with the aim of
proving the significant of employee for productivity but not machines (Perry, 2017). It was also
developed to address the problem that was faced by Taylors’ ‘scientific management theory’.
Human Relations theory emphasis employee as a human being and should be treated as a human
being but not a machines (Chand, 2017). The features of Human Relations theory are the individual
employee, informal organizations, and participative management. Individual employee refer to the
recognition and appreciation of individual employees within the workplace. Employees are
considered as the main assets of the organization in terms of their skills. Hence, Human relations
theory suggest that individual employee should be respected and treated well and that will link
with the high productivity of the organization. Informal organizations is another aspect of Human
Relations theory that focus on “informal social aspects of workers whose overriding need that seen
as a desire to belong, to be accepted by his/her work group’ (Chand, 2017). It means here that the
manager should encourage the formation of groups as a supplementary to strengthen the formal
organization, as well as building a communication channel with worker with their group, formal
and informal, and then follow a relations-oriented rather than a task-oriented style of leadership
(Banerjee, 2012). The last features of Human Relations theory is participative management, means
that individual employee are involve in decision-making process. In Human Relations theory, the
involvement of individual employees through their group and informal leader is the most crucial
part that was produce an effective decision whereby employees aware what they might affected
from the decision (Chand, 2017). Hence, Mayo introduced ‘Human relations theory’ to promote
the idea that employee are human and they should treated as a human being, and also it promote
working as a group.
Moreover, there are some differences between Taylor’s ‘scientific management theory’ and
Mayo’s ‘Human Relations theory’. The first differences is scientific management theory treated
employee like a robotic machines while Mayo argues that employee are human and therefore they
should treated like human being and also concern with the workers need (Businessay.net, 2017).
The second differences is Taylor belief that incentives is used to motivated employees while Mayo
despite it and stated that ‘the organizational output is determined by the human relations at work
and not by the economic and technological conditions of workplace’ (Chand, 2017). It means that
if the co-operation and the relationship in the workplace was good then the employee will be more
motivated to their work and produced more than expected. The third differences is scientific
management theory tied employee to follow rules while human relations theory encourage
employee to involve in the decision making and ensure that the relationship was good in the
workplace. Here, scientific management was more close to the employee while human relations
theory was very open to the employee via involving in decision making. The last contradiction is
that Taylor’s scientific management theory encourage working individually, where employees are
allocated to do a particular task while Mayo’s ‘human relation theory’ encourage working as a
group to build a good relationship within the workplace. Therefore, scientific management and
human relation was contradict with each other because of human relation was trying to cover the
problem faced from scientific management.
Lastly, there is a major conformity of Taylor’s ‘scientific management theory’ and Mayo’s
‘Human Relations theory’. The major similarities is; from the contribution of both schools to
management practice, Taylor’s idea and mayo’s idea are both carried out into finding the best way
in which workers in a workplace are motivated to their task so that they are dedicated to their work
and increase a level of productivity to the organizational output. As seen in Taylor’s idea that focus
on ‘technical division of labor’ means that dividing task of making a product at the assembly line
and employee are allocated to a particular task and trained on that particular task. They also given
an incentives as a motivation (Chand, 2017). In Mayo’s idea, employees are encourage to work as
a group and their social need are recognized as well as they are appreciated in the workplace with
the idea that they are happy and they also motivated to do their job (Chand, 2017). Hence, scientific
management theory and human relation theory as play an important role in the organization for

1
accomplishing what the organization’s objectives. The more the employee they motivated the
increase of the production result will be expected as the organizational output.
In summary, the organization’s success was depend on the employee successfulness on managing
the employee. There are two theories that are discussed in this essay which are, scientific
management theory and human relation theory. As obvious, the features of scientific management
theory are; systematic approach, discard traditional management, requires strict observance of
rules and improves the efficiency of workers. While the main features of human relations theory
are; the individual employee, informal organizations, and participative management. However,
there are some differences of this two theories and those differences was based on how employee
treated, how they are motivated, how employees involvement in the management and how
employee are carrying out a task. The last part, is the major similarity of this two theories and their
major similarities is basically on motivating employees in order to increase productivity to the
organization. Therefore, the manager or the employer will decide on what kind of approaches he
want to use whether to adopt scientific management or human relations in his workplace.

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 Bibliography
Banerjee, A., 2012. 6 main Features of Human Relations Theory. [Online]
Available at: http://www.preservearticles.com/2012051832410/6-main-features-of-human-relations-
theory.html
[Accessed 28 February 2017].

Businessay.net, 2017. Comparison and contrast of scientific management throey and human relation
management theory. [Online]
Available at: https://businessays.net/comparison-and-contrast-of-scientific-management-throey-and-
human-relation-management-theory/
[Accessed 28 February 2017].

Chand, A., 2017. MG315: Inustiral Relations theory & Policy: Course book. Suva: The University of the
South Pacific .

Chand, A., 2017. MG316: Comparative Employment and Industrial Relations: Course book. Suva: The
University of the South Pacific

Mayhew, R., 2017. Importance of Employee Performance in Business Organizations. [Online]

Available at: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-employee-performance-business-
organizations-1967.html
[Accessed 27 February 2017].

Perry, G. L., 2017. Human Relations Management theory basic. [Online]

Available at: https://www.business.com/articles/human-relations-management-theory-basics/
[Accessed 28 February 2017].

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