SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 395.

CLASSICAL SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

BASIC SCHOOLS OF MANAGEMENT

The oldest and perhaps most widely accepted school among practitioners has been called the classical school of management thought. This is the approach to management thought that arose mainly from efforts between 1900 and 1940 to provide a rational and scientific basis for the management of organizations.

As a result of Industrial Revolution, people were brought together to work in factories. There were need for efficient planning, organizing, influencing, and controlling of work activities.

The primary contributions of the classical school of management include the following:

1. Application of science to the practice of management.
2. Development of the basic management functions: planning, organizing, influencing, and controlling.
3. Articulation and application of specific principles of management.

Frederick Taylor, who made major contributions to management thinking around the turn of this century, is often called the Father of Scientific Management. Scientific management is the name given to the principle and practices that grew out of the work of Frederick Taylor and his followers and that are characterized by concern for efficiency and systematization in management. The scientific method provides a logical framework for the analysis of problems. It basically consists of defining the problem, gathering data, analyzing the data, developing alternatives, and selecting the best alternative. Taylor's philosophy can be summarized in the following four principles:

1. Develop and use the scientific method in the practice of management (find the ”one best way” to perform work)
2. Use scientific approach to select employees who are best suited to perform a given job.
3. Provide employees with a scientific education, training, and development.
4. Encourage friendly interaction and cooperation between management and employees but with a separation of duties between managers and workers.

He believed sincerely that scientific management practices would benefit both the employee and the employer through the creation of a larger surplus. The organization would achieve higher output, and the worker would receive more income.