Question

Explain ‘Science, not Rule of Thumb’ as a principle of Scientific Management and ‘Functional Foremanship’ and ‘Time study’ as techniques of…

Accepted Answer

(a) Science, not Rule of Thumb § It states that there is only one best method to maximise efficiency which can be developed through study and analysis. This best method should substitute ‘Rule of Thumb’ throughout the organisation. § Scientific method involves unifying the best practices and developing a standard method to be followed throughout the organisation. Functional Foremanship § Functional foremanship is a technique which aims to improve the quality of supervision at shop floor by putting a worker under eight specialist foremen. § In this technique, planning is separated from execution. Taylor suggested four foremen for planning, namely, route clerk, instruction card clerk, time and cost clerk and disciplinarian and four foremen for execution, namely, gang boss, speed boss, repair boss and inspector. Time study § It is a technique of scientific management which determines the standard time taken to perform a well-defined job. § It is used to determine the number of workers to be employed; frame suitable incentive schemes and determine labour costs. OR Q. (b) Explain the following principles of General Management: (i) Unity of Command (ii) Esprit De Corps (iii) Stability of Personnel (i) Unity of Command § The principle of unity of command states that each employee in an organisation should receive orders from one superior only and he should be responsible to only one superior. § There should be one and only one boss for every individual employee. It prevents confusion regarding tasks to be done. (ii) Esprit De Corps § The principle of Esprit De Corps states that the management should promote a team spirit of unity and harmony among employees, otherwise objectives would be difficult to realise. § This will give rise to a spirit of mutual trust and belongingness among team members and will minimise the need for using penalties. (iii) Stability of Personnel § The principle of Stability of Personnel states that personnel should be selected and appointed after due and rigorous procedure but once selected, they should be kept at their post for a minimum fixed tenure and be given reasonable time to show results. § It will help to minimize employee turnover and maintain organizational efficiency.

Explain ‘Science, not Rule of Thumb’ as a principle of Scientific
Management and ‘Functional Foremanship’ and ‘Time study’ as
techniques of Scientific Management.

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