Which principle of Fayol promotes a team spirit of unity and harmony among employees?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Esprit de corps
Option (1) Esprit de corps — Correct. Esprit de corps means team spirit. Fayol wants management to build unity and harmony among employees, especially in large organisations. A manager can do this by saying ‘We’ in place of ‘I’ with the workers.
Option (2) Order — Incorrect. Order means a fixed place for everything and everyone, so that work goes on without hindrance.
Option (3) Unity of direction — Incorrect. Unity of direction means one head and one plan for each group of activities with the same objective. It brings unity of action and coordination in the work of a unit.
Option (4) Harmony not discord — Incorrect. This is Taylor’s principle of scientific management. It asks for complete harmony between management and workers, in place of class-conflict.
NCERT (2026-27 Edition): “(ii) Harmony, Not Discord: … Taylor recognised that this conflict helped none, the workers, the managers or the factory owners. He emphasised that there should be complete harmony between the management and workers. Both should realise that each one is important. …” “(xiv) Esprit De Corps: Management should promote a team spirit of unity and harmony among employees, according to Fayol. Management should promote teamwork especially in large organisations because otherwise objectives would be difficult to realise. It will also result in a loss of coordination. A manager should replace ‘I’ with ‘We’ in all his conversations with workers to foster team spirit. …” |