In the absence of an established theory of factory organisation, factory owners or managers relied on personal judgement in attending to the problems they confronted in the course of managing their work. This is referred to as ________
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Rule of thumb
Option (1) Cooperation — Incorrect. Cooperation, not individualism, is a principle of scientific management. It asks workers and management to work as partners.
Option (2) Individualism — Incorrect. Individualism is what Taylor wanted replaced by cooperation. It is not the name of the old way of managing factories.
Option (3) Rule of thumb — Correct. Managing by rule of thumb means relying on one’s own judgement and trial and error, not on tested methods. Taylor’s first principle, science not rule of thumb, was meant to replace it.
Option (4) Simplification — Incorrect. Simplification is a technique of scientific management that removes needless varieties, sizes and grades of a product.
NCERT (2026-27 Edition): “Principles of Scientific Management In the earlier days of the Industrial Revolution, in the absence of an established theory of factory organisation, factory owners or managers relied on personal judgment in attending to the problems they confronted in the course of managing their work. This is what is referred to as ‘rule of thumb’. Managing factories by rule of thumb enabled them to handle the situations as they arose but suffered from the limitation of a trial and error approach. …” |