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The focus of scientific management includes standardizing tasks, training workers systematically, and using rewards to motivate employees. There is also a clear division of roles: managers plan and oversee the work, while workers carry out the tasks. This approach has been criticized for dehumanizing workers by treating them like machines. It also greatly influenced modern management practices and techniques for improving productivity.
The foundation for modern human resource management started in the early 1900s with scientific management principles. This method, also called Taylorism, was created by Frederick Winslow Taylor in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The main idea of Taylorism is to study work scientifically to find the best way to do each task. By measuring time, motion, and fatigue, Taylor aimed to improve how work is done.
Although Frederick Taylor’s methods may have inadvertently diminished the humanity of workers, it’s essential to consider the historical context. During the early industrial age in America, labor abuses and hostility were rampant. Despite this, Taylor believed that management’s purpose was to maximize both employer and employee prosperity. For individual employees, prosperity extended beyond wages—it involved developing each worker to achieve maximum efficiency. As a mechanical engineer, Taylor pioneered time and motion studies to optimize task completion, ultimately distilling his research into four principles of scientific management:
Dr. Lillian Gilbreth and her husband Frank were also pioneers in scientific management. Like Taylor, the Gilbreths used their engineering skills to find “the one best way” to do a task. Besides time and motion studies, they used film to find ways to improve work processes.
The couple, who had 12 children, also “mainstreamed home economics and domestic management” (Paules-Bronet, 2019). Lillian Gilbreth, who was both a psychologist and an industrial engineer, invented several things, including shelves inside refrigerator doors, the foot pedal on trash cans, wall light switches, and the linear kitchen layout.
Another important management theory is Administrative Management, based on the work of Henri Fayol. Administrative Management Theory focuses on organizing and managing the entire structure of an organization. It involves creating formal structures, defining roles and responsibilities, and dividing tasks to make work more efficient.
Henri Fayol created 14 principles of management. These principles stress the importance of task specialization and fair distribution of authority and responsibility, ensuring that managers can give orders and employees follow them. Discipline, clear lines of command, and unified direction are essential for maintaining order and achieving organizational goals.
Fayol also highlights the importance of prioritizing the organization’s interests over individual ones, offering fair compensation, and balancing decision-making between management levels. A clear hierarchy and structured order within the organization contribute to smooth operations. Managers should treat employees with kindness and fairness, promoting long-term employment and encouraging initiative.
Lastly, fostering team spirit and unity is crucial for organizational success. These principles collectively guide managers in creating a more efficient and harmonious workplace. Although most of these management principles still hold true today, Fayol’s most significant contribution to management theory is his identification of the duties of management.
In contrast to scientific management, with its focus on optimizing humans as machines, Behavioral Management focuses on worker behavior and motivation. Specifically, behavioral management theory is concerned with how to manage productivity by understanding worker motivation, including expectations, needs and interests, and group dynamics. Behavioral Management theory is sometimes called the human relations movement due to its focus on the human dimension of work (Cliff Notes). Theorists who contributed to behavioral management include Mary Parker Follett, Elton Mayo, and Abraham Maslow.
Although she was a contemporary of Taylor and the Gilbreths discussed earlier, Mary Parker Follett had a very different frame of reference and her ideas form the basis of our understanding of modern organizational behavior. A former social worker, she understood power dynamics and stressed the importance of human psychology and human relations rather than a mechanical or scientific approach to work and management-employee interactions.
Follett’s theory of management included the following principles: (Giratkar, 2019)
Elton Mayo, another pioneer in Behavioral Management, had a series of studies that demonstrated that employee motivation is heavily influenced by social and situational factors. Mayo’s findings, referred to as the “Hawthorne Effect,” marked a radical change in motivational theory and management practice.
Mayo conducted his studies at Western Electric’s Hawthorne Plant in the 1920s and 1930s. He found that changes in lighting seemed to affect productivity. However, upon further analysis, it was determined that it was not the lighting itself, but rather the worker’s feeling observed and cared for by the researchers that impacted productivity.
Whereas Scientific Management principles focused on individual workers and how to optimize their work performance, the Hawthorne studies looked at workers as part of a group or social context. These studies found that employee performance is influenced not only by their abilities but also by the work environment and their co-workers. Specifically, the studies showed that management attention and engagement with workers, as well as the group dynamic, had a bigger impact on productivity than factors like lighting or benefits.
Another leader in Behavioral Management was psychologist Abraham Maslow. In his 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation, Maslow proposed what is considered the classic theory: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow, 1943). This theory stated that people are motivated by five categories of needs: physiological, safety, love, esteem, and self-actualization. These needs are represented as a pyramid, with basic physiological needs and the need for self-actualization at the top.
Within the Hierarch of Needs, physiological, which is at the bottom, are needs like food, water, and sleep. Next are safety needs, which include feeling safe and having a stable job. The third level is love and belonging, where people need friendships and family. Above that is esteem, which is about feeling respected and accomplished. At the top is self-actualization, where a person reaches their full potential and does what they are truly capable of. Maslow believed that each level must be met before moving to the next one.
Maslow said the bottom four levels of his pyramid are “deficiency needs.” When these needs are unmet, people often feel anxious, but meeting them does not produce strong emotions. The fifth level is a “growth need” because it helps a person reach their full potential (Burton, 2019).
IN CONTEXT
Let’s look at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs within the context of an example called, “LaVail’s Journey to Self-Actualization.”
LaVail is a 35-year-old software engineer who has been working at a large tech company for several years. He recently attended a workshop on personal development, where he learned about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Intrigued by the theory, LaVail reflects on his own life and career.
In reflecting, LaVail realizes that self-actualization isn’t a destination but an ongoing journey. He experiences moments when he loses track of time while coding because he is so involved with this work —a sign that he’s aligned with his true potential.
- Physiological Needs: LaVail recalls his early days as a struggling student. He worked part-time jobs to pay for rent, food, and other basic necessities. His primary motivation was survival—ensuring he had enough to eat and a place to live.
- Safety Needs: As LaVail’s career progressed, he secured a stable job with a good salary. He then was able to focus on job security, health insurance, and financial stability. Feeling safe and secure allowed him to concentrate on higher-level needs.
- Belongingness and Love: LaVail entered an organization where he valued his relationships with colleagues, friends, and family. He sought out social connections, attended team-building events, and actively participated in company culture. He now realizes that feeling accepted and connected fulfilled this need.
- Esteem Needs: As his career progressed, LaVail desired recognition for his work. He appreciated positive feedback from his manager and peers. Achieving professional milestones, such as promotions or awards, boosted his self-esteem.
- Self-Actualization: Finally, LaVail dreamt of creating innovative software solutions that positively impact people’s lives. He spent weekends working on side projects, attending coding workshops, and collaborating with like-minded individuals. This ability to work on his dream he sees now is his pursuit of self-actualization and he has worked his way through the pyramid.
By utilizing Maslow’s theory, LaVail was able to more fully understand his motivations and aspirations. He recognized that personal growth and creativity are essential for self-actualization. Finally, LaVail realized he continues to balance his lower-level needs, such as belonging, with higher-level fulfillment.
Source: This Tutorial has been adapted from "Human Resources Management" by Lumen Learning. Access for free at https://courses.lumenlearning.com/wm-humanresourcesmgmt/. License: CC BY: Attribution.
REFERENCES
Paules-Bronet, Ileana. (2019, July 29). "The Movie 'Cheaper by the Dozen' Was Inspired by a Real 1920's Family With 12 Children." Little Things. https://www.allaboutlean.com/taylor-gilbreth/.
Cliff Notes. (2019). Behavioral Management Theory." Cliff Notes. https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/principles-of-management/.
Giratkar, Saurabh. (2019). "Mary Parker Follett." LinkedIn Slideshare. https://www.slideshare.net/saurabhgiratkar/mary-parker-follett.
Maslow, Abraham. (1943). "A Theory of Human Motivation." Psychological Review.
Burton, Neel. (2012, May 23). "Our Hierarchy of Needs: True Freedom is a Luxury of the Mind. Find Out Why." Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hide-and-seek.
