Both Scientific Management and Human Relations have had a massive impact on the world since they were first mentioned and applied by Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856 – 1915) and George Elton Mayo (1880 – 1949).
First of all, both concepts have in common the fact that they were used to increase mass production. Henry Ford's factory is one example of these means of production, a Ford car being produced by the masses for the masses. But according to Scientific Management, this can only be done with the complete standardization of the entire process of production. Moreover, timing is crucial and the human element is replaced by machines because every millisecond counts (Taylor 1911). Human relations theory, also known as behavioral management theory, focuses more on the individuals in a workplace than the rules, procedures and processes (Roethlisberger 1949). In Mayo's point of view the worker should be viewed as a social and psychological being (1928), not as a machine that responds to economic stimulus (Taylor 1911). According to Roethlisberger, Human Relations is about understanding that the worker is a human being and that he or she has desires, ideas and goals. (1949). Furthermore, according to Mayo, a mental "steady state" will increase the performance in the organization (1933).
Second of all, both concepts have agreed upon the fact that it is the manager's job to be in charge of the organization of the means of production. According to Taylor, it is the manager's job to bridge the opposing interests of the workers and employers, because he believed that in the middle of every organization is the relationship between employers and employees (1911). In addition to this, Mayo believed that fatigue and monotony contributes to depression and soldiering, so it is the manager's duty to adjust the worker's soul to work in bad conditions. (1928).
While many companies operate based on the Human Relations theory, believing that it is better and more modern than the Scientific one, this type of management has a big risk.
