Scientific management focuses on worker and machine relationships. Jobs are designed so that each worker has a specified, well-controlled task that can be performed as instructed. According to Taylor, the utilization of the best methods and best tools of operation can improve efficiency. Increasing efficiency means more wages to the employees and higher productivity to the management. Thus, the interests of employees and management are complementary and not contradictory.
Taylor began the practice of systematically analyzing human actions at work. He used as a model the machine, with interchangeable parts, each of which does one specific function. Taylor tried to do with complex organizations what engineers had done to machines, make them better suited to produce more output. He sought to make individuals behave as cogs in a wheel. This involved breaking down each task a human performed to its smallest unit and to figure out the one best way to do each job. The manager then, after analyzing each job, would teach it to the worker and make sure the worker did only those motions essential to the task.
Taylor developed what later became known as his four principles of scientific management. .
Eliminate the guesswork of rule-of-thumb approaches to decide how each worker has to do a job by adopting scientific measurements to break the job down into a series of small, related tasks.
Use more scientific, systematic methods, for selecting workers and training them for specific jobs.
Establish the concept that there is a clear division of responsibility between management and workers, with management doing the goal setting, planning and supervising, and workers executing the required tasks.
Establish the discipline whereby management sets the objectives and the workers co-operate in achieving them.
