Which of the following principles are related to scientific management?
(A) Science not Rule of Thumb
(B) Development of Each and Every Person to His or Her Greatest Efficiency and Prosperity
(C) Unity of Command
(D) Cooperation, Not Individualism
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → (A), (B) and (D) only
(A) Science not Rule of Thumb — A principle of scientific management (Correct). Taylor said there is one best method of doing a job. It should be found by study and analysis, not by guesswork.
(B) Development of Each and Every Person to His or Her Greatest Efficiency and Prosperity — A principle of scientific management (Correct). Each worker should be chosen with care, given suitable work and trained, so that he works with the best efficiency.
(C) Unity of Command — Not a principle of scientific management (Incorrect). This is one of Henri Fayol’s 14 principles of management. It says each employee should get orders from one boss only.
(D) Cooperation, Not Individualism — A principle of scientific management (Correct). Labour and management should work together instead of each working only for itself.
NCERT (2026-27 Edition): “Science not Rule of Thumb: Taylor pioneered the introduction of the method of scientific inquiry into the domain of management practice. We have already referred to the limitations of the rule of thumb approach of management. As different managers would follow their indigenous rules of thumb, it is but a statement of the obvious that all would not be equally effective. Taylor believed that there was only one best method to maximise efficiency. This method can be developed through study and analysis. …” “Cooperation, Not Individualism: There should be complete cooperation between the labour and the management instead of individualism. This principle is an extension of principle of ‘Harmony not discord’. Competition should be replaced by cooperation. Both should realise that they need each other.” “Development of Each and Every Person to His or Her Greatest Efficiency and Prosperity: Industrial efficiency depends to a large extent on personnel competencies. As such, scientific management also stood for worker development. Worker training was essential also to learn the ‘best method’ developed as a consequence of the scientific approach. …” “Unity of Command: According to Fayol there should be one and only one boss for every individual employee. If an employee gets orders from two superiors at the same time the principle of unity of command is violated. …” |