Mr Ndlovu
1. Introduction
Maximizing efficiency, reducing costs and increasing profits are facts which will be always of high interest for companies. In the course of development of organizations different approaches have emerge to fulfill these interest. The purpose of this essay is to compare scientific management and human relations theory. The paper will start by explaining both schools of management. Differences and similarities will be discussed on the followings. With the help of these facts it can be shown how different these theories are and whether they achieve the same ends.
2. Explanation of scientific management
Frederick Winslow Taylor was the founder of the scientific management (SM) also referred to as Taylorism (Thompson and McHugh, 2009, p.28). Optimize operational procedures and to implement the human recourse to be as effective as possible was the aim Taylor wanted to achieve. Therefore, it was necessary to change the existing proportion between management and workers regarding, who is responsible for the way the work has to be done (Thompson and McHugh, 2009, p.30). In the past the workers received their knowledge about working procedures from the previous generations or worked it out by themselves. However, there was no assurance if the way of doing the job was the most effective one (Thompson, 2003, p.31). To fix these problems and to make enterprises more profitable Taylor looked at the scientific side of establishments and developed four management principles. The first one is the principle of “developing a science for each element of work” (Thompson and McHugh, 2009, p.30). Within this principle Taylor summarizes the whole accumulated knowledge of the workers and the company. Hence, he creates rules and norms for each process. Furthermore, he divided the processes in small parts and analyzed them concerning their lead time and course of movement. As a result Taylor could identify and eliminate interference factors (Taylor, 1911, p.24).
Maximizing efficiency, reducing costs and increasing profits are facts which will be always of high interest for companies. In the course of development of organizations different approaches have emerge to fulfill these interest. The purpose of this essay is to compare scientific management and human relations theory. The paper will start by explaining both schools of management. Differences and similarities will be discussed on the followings. With the help of these facts it can be shown how different these theories are and whether they achieve the same ends.
2. Explanation of scientific management
Frederick Winslow Taylor was the founder of the scientific management (SM) also referred to as Taylorism (Thompson and McHugh, 2009, p.28). Optimize operational procedures and to implement the human recourse to be as effective as possible was the aim Taylor wanted to achieve. Therefore, it was necessary to change the existing proportion between management and workers regarding, who is responsible for the way the work has to be done (Thompson and McHugh, 2009, p.30). In the past the workers received their knowledge about working procedures from the previous generations or worked it out by themselves. However, there was no assurance if the way of doing the job was the most effective one (Thompson, 2003, p.31). To fix these problems and to make enterprises more profitable Taylor looked at the scientific side of establishments and developed four management principles. The first one is the principle of “developing a science for each element of work” (Thompson and McHugh, 2009, p.30). Within this principle Taylor summarizes the whole accumulated knowledge of the workers and the company. Hence, he creates rules and norms for each process. Furthermore, he divided the processes in small parts and analyzed them concerning their lead time and course of movement. As a result Taylor could identify and eliminate interference factors (Taylor, 1911, p.24).