Comparative Literature Review: Human vs Scientific Management

This literature review delves into the concepts of management, focusing on human relations and scientific management, particularly in the context of the warehouse industry. It begins by defining management as the administration of an organization and an art of managing resources. Scientific management, founded by Frederick Winslow Taylor, emphasizes optimizing operational processes and employee effectiveness through principles like developing a science for each work component, scientifically selecting and training workers, fostering cooperation between management and workers, and redistributing work responsibilities. Human relations management, evolving from Elton Mayo's Hawthorne experiments, highlights the importance of non-financial factors, social interaction, and teamwork in motivating employees. The review compares these approaches, noting that while scientific management can improve efficiency through technology and control, human relations emphasizes employee well-being and satisfaction. The analysis also indicates that elements of Taylorism are still evident in warehouse management practices, such as time and motion studies and performance-based compensation. The review concludes by underscoring the contributions of both approaches to modern management and suggesting areas for future research.

Human Relation Management and Scientific
Management
(Literature review)

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................1
LITERATURE REVIEW...........................................................................................................1
Management...........................................................................................................................1
Scientific management...........................................................................................................2
Human relation management..................................................................................................3
Comparison between scientific management and human relation management with
reference to warehouse workers.............................................................................................4
CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES...........................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Literature review is being regarded as one of the most important component of the
whole dissertation as it entails about the previous studies being done in relation with the
concerned topic. Further, it is the only section of the dissertation which provides the basis of
knowledge on the topic. The current section will going to throw light on the general concepts
of management and will also focus on human relation and scientific management in the
context of the warehouse industry. With the augmentation in the global trends, the
competitiveness of the warehouse industry is being shaped significantly (DuBrin, 2019).
Smarter processes and innovation in technology has allowed warehouse industry to continue
to offer greater amount of value. In such as dynamic business environment, management of
processes and human resource becomes very critical as well as challenging. Considering this,
the main purpose of the current literature review is to provide deep knowledge in regards
with the management in general and scientific and human resource management in the
context of the warehouse industry. It will also going to highlight pros and cons of both and
will make comparison as which is better or effective for the warehouse workers. Further, the
final part of this section will include conclusion of the main concepts and will determine the
areas of the future research.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Management
Management is nothing but the administration of the organization and an art of
management of all the resources. It encompasses the activities of establishing the strategy of
the firm and coordinating the efforts of the workers for attaining the final goals by the
application of present resources like technology, finance, natural and human resources.
According to Sapru (2018), in the management, there are two important concepts which are
utilized in distinguishing amid the continued delivery of products and services and altering
the merchandise for meeting the altering requirement of the clients and these are running the
business and changing the business. In addition to this, the term management is also being
used for the people who coordinates and manages all the things in the company and these are
the managers. Different authors have presented varied definitions related to management with
the passage of time. According to Fayol (1949) management is defined as forecasting,
planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating as well as controlling. On the other hand, as
stated by Malik (2011) management is nothing but transformation of resources into utility.
Furthermore, the latest definition is being given by peter Drucker which defines management
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as fundamental twofold task that innovation along with marketing (Daft, 2016). Moving
further, management involves five important functions that planning, organizing, directing,
coordination and controlling. It is an art of getting things done through others individuals.
From the past several years, the concept of management is basically referred as management
of the work of people till the time Frederick Winslow Taylor originally named it as a science.
Scientific management
The founder of the scientific management was Frederick Winslow Taylor and was
being known as Taylorism. The main aim of Taylor was to optimize the operational processes
and execute the employees to be as effective as possible. Consequently, it was quite essential
to modify the present proportion amid management and employees in regards with who is
accountable for the manners the work needs to be carried out. As per Gronroos (2016),
earlier, workers get the knowledge in regards with the process of performing things from
their previous generation or on their own. Nevertheless, there was not guarantee whether the
work being done by them was effective or not. In order to sort out this issue and for making
the organization profitable Taylor observed at the scientific side of establishments and
industrialized four management principles. The very first is the development of a science for
each component of work. It signifies that there must be rules as well as norms for each
processes. Additionally, the process must be segregated into smaller sections for evaluating
them in relation with the lead time and course of movement. The second principle was related
with the workers. Earlier there was no training being offered to the workers and there was no
selection (Khurana, 2019). Workers carried out tasks on their own and enhanced their
abilities by themselves. However with the scientific approach workers now are directed
regarding the manners work needs to be performed.
The third principle was related with cooperation amid the management and the
workers for making sure that the work is being performed as per the science. With this
principle in hand, Taylor desired to attain that each and every worker consider the definite
procedures. Furthermore, management as well as employees should also work in
collaboration with one another. The fourth principle is concerned with association amid men
as well as management agonised one more modification denoting sharing of work. In the
previous time, employees were accountable for their job deprived of any help from the
management. Scientific management theory altered this proportion. He has formed a science
for each and every processes, gathered information and developed rules as well as regulations
and stated that it is not the duty for the men and management of the firm is required to make
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sure that every employee on each and every day must be aware about the things they need to
do and within the stipulated period (Gronroos, 2016). Consequently, alteration of attitude
towards the work and combination of work sharing are some of the factors that resulted in
effectiveness of scientific management.
Human relation management
Talking in relation with the human relation theory, it has been evolved in the year
1920 and 1930s by Elton Mayo through conducting Hawthorne experiments. These
experiments comprised an investigation of six individuals who contributed their efforts in
collaborating with the team work. The main aim of the experiment was to evaluate the
manners in which the output of the workers alters with the differentiating situations of
employment. There were two focused groups being set and they were being exposed to varied
illumination phases. Nevertheless, the researcher has noticed that the results in those test
groups augmented self-sufficiently from illuminating situations (Vijai, 2015). The workers in
fact were motivated by the particular attention being received by them and got the feeling of
being something valuable and not just the element of creating products. In simple words, all
the six individuals have enjoyed their experience by respect as well as shared comprehension.
Furthermore, it was analysed that the main reason for this enhanced production level was the
actuality being observed by them.
The experiments being done in human relation theory also depicted that the workers
can be encouraged by non-financial elements as well. The fundamental idea of the human
relation theory is non-financial factors and is more emphasized towards the interest, desires
and objectives of the workers (Onday, 2016). In addition to this, the theory also reinforced
the methods for making improvement in the team work, social association, internal
interaction and cooperation amid the management as well as employees. The main notion was
to develop cordial as well as social business environment for motivating the overall group.
Moreover, workers must also get in touch with each other for attaining a feeling of harmony
in the firm (Wilton, 2019). Besides, the major components were also the integration as well
as development of the workers rather than domination. All these efforts pay off as there has
been augmentation in the production and satisfaction level of the workers. Other than this, the
workers also started experiencing deeper association with the organization by the
environment of humanitarian. Consequently, it can be said that the informal side of the firm
is quite essential and basic just like the formal side.
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Comparison between scientific management and human relation management with reference
to warehouse workers
According to Khurana (2019), scientific management is being defined as a model of
management which helps in examining as well as creating workflows. The main objective of
this model is to progress financial usefulness especially productivity of the workers. Further,
scientific management was one of the original efforts for applying science in scheming
different organizational management as well as processes. On contrary to this, human relation
approach concept is defined as that management model which is majorly relied on the
concept that the employees are motivated not only through financial incentive however also
through variety of social factors such as feeling of belongingness, accomplishment and
superiority in the work of individual (DuBrin, 2019). Additionally, the human relation
approach also acknowledges that relationships, characters and styles of management are
correspondingly accountable for the effective performance of organization. It can be
attributed that both scientific along with the human relation approach has contributed a lot in
the history of the current management. Pertaining to this, both of these concepts are
comparatively comprehensive system of management. Scientific along with the human
relation management approach have their individual exceptional assistances and thus, it is
quite essential to contrast both these concepts effectively.
Taylorsim and warehouses
From the evidence being accumulated from the above analysis, it can be seemed to
appear that Taylorism or scientific management can prove effective in the warehouse
industry, warehouse workers and their different practices with the utilising of advanced
technology. Speaking in relation with warehouse, workers are being controlled and checked
through different sophisticated electronic system for controlling as well as managing the
amount of products and merchandise required for packing in each hour (Udin and Hossain,
2015). In the meantime, in the office for management the firms related to warehousing
industry such as warehouses and storerooms makes use of problematical set of management,
psychological method and information for setting the target for managerial employees for
performing jobs in the warehouse. It signifies that warehousing industry involves
specialization of labour at times when managers pays attention on the activities of planning,
establishing objectives for the employee and focusing on the tasks of packing materials and
products as per the objectives being anticipated by the management (Onday, 2016).
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Furthermore, there is an important similarity amid scientific management and
management as well as practices in warehouses that time as well as motion study is being
applied for evaluating the performance of the employees. According to Langfred (2020), each
and every gesture and activity of the employees is under the control in case of the warehouse
which are quite large in size where employees have computers which are hand held for
recording their movements. In addition to this, hand movements of the employees can also be
controlled through haptic feedback in the warehouses. Presently, most of the warehouses
have camera which strictly control the behaviour of the employees and even stock pickers are
reported to be under observation. On the basis of the study of observation as well as motion at
the workplace, the worker’s performance is uninterruptedly restrained through the set of rules
which is running as an instrument for measuring as well as augmenting the while-collar
employee’s performance over the period of time (Taylor, 2014).
Thus, it can be said that all the employees working in the warehouse get their
compensation on the basis of the performance assessment. Considering the example, most of
the warehouses adopts the wage system through 50 cents per hour which can be elevated
every six months along with the bonuses on a monthly basis subsequent to taking into
account the attendance of the workers and their performance levels as per the goals being
established by the management. Thus, to sum up it can be said that most of the principles
along with the terminologies in scientific management appeared in the management as well
as some of the practices in the warehouse industry and their workers. In addition to this, there
has been also an evidence in relation with the time and motion study and division of labour
and salary system as per the analysis of the performance (Mohamed and Nor, 2013).
Therefore, it can be concluded that scientific management might prove effective for the
warehouse industry from the perspectives of both the workers and management.
Critics of Taylorism and its irrelevance to warehouse industry
As per Jeacle (2014), in spite of the fact that most of the main points could be
elucidated through scientific management however the real management practices in most of
the warehouses are very complex in nature and Taylorism fails in explaining to them because
this concept has not looked some of the vital elements in the warehouses and their workers.
First of all, the managers along with the warehouse workers does not have equal right and are
being considered as a machine and not human beings. It is being regarded as the major
shortcoming of scientific management theory which implies that human being might work
effectively as machines in case if they are engineered to perform the same. In most of the
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warehouses, ideal employees are supposed to be a human robot where they does not have
time breaks as well. In addition to this, these workers does not also have time for going to
washrooms due to terror of missing the targets related to productivity (McGregor, 2015).
The second reason behind the irrelevance of scientific management theory for
warehouse industry is the resistance in the behaviour of most of the managers for paying the
piece rate or the salary to the employees. Because of this reason, it becomes quite difficult to
content the Taylorism principles. According to Clegg (2016), small number of managers give
consent to pay for the production in the system of Taylor. They desire to make use of
fractional as well as competence from time dimension however not rewards in the form of
bonus through utilizing piece rate. Considering different warehouses cases workers does not
work under good working conditions and are also not compensated effectively.
Consequently, it can be said that both of these reasons have partly caused the sceptics of
scientific management in evaluating the management as well practices. Further, the principles
of this theory does not hold in the case of warehouse industry. Taylorism might not be
effective in explaining the artefacts of warehouses, their management and practices (Gupta,
2019).
Human relation management and warehouse industry
According to Hodgetts and Hegar (2018), Other than this the viewpoints of the
employers along with the motivating factors, warehouse workers also requires human relation
as well as organizational culture which can be developed through seeking help from different
practices of management. All these points are being elaborated in the human relation theory
which emphasized on Hawthorne works experiment. Nevertheless, the main aim of
developing the study is to develop scientific management but the outcomes of the
experiments were quite inconsistent with the belief of Taylor. This theory focused on the fact
that financial rewards are not considered as the decisive element of satisfaction of the
workers (Barnat, 2015). He stated that for satisfying the workers it is crucial to effective
communication, working environment, behaviour and optimistic management responses must
be developed. This theory also argues that specialization of jobs with high level of
concentration must be applied for simple as well as repetitive tasks. Nonetheless, this might
be no longer true particularly for the alteration in the business environment considerably.
Warehouse workers of repetitive as well as standardized activities in the current world still
have the right of motivation elements as compared to the other jobs. Furthermore, warehouse
industry also needs informal groups in the workplace which can consequently leads towards
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development of sub-culture in the firm. The significance of the informal group in the
workplace is also being focussed by Mayo (Mayo, 2016). Moreover, he was of the belief that
social makeups along with dynamics of groups can develop higher level of participation of
the employees and at the same time create openness in the workplace and groups.
According to Clegg (2016) especially in warehouse informal groups play a very
significant role in asking the advantages from the firm. Further, they are also been grouped
together for go for strikes, for example, as in the case of Europe. For fighting in contradiction
with the unfair treatment of warehouse on black Friday the workers went for strikes. Each
group in different geographical areas carried out strikes in their nations for asking in regards
with the rights of the employees in relation with wages, suitable management as well as break
time. Prominently, they are related together for forming a larger group in the world which
compels the firm to change their rules as well as conditions. Though Clegg (2016) observed
that Taylorism does not openly denote to culture and Parker (2020) still argues that the
culture in the organization in scientific management is single utilitarian to minimize worker
existence as well as maximizing the production level. However, some criticism also revolves
around the human relation theory which argues that this concept overly focuses on group and
group decision making. In addition to this, this theory is also based on the assumption that
issues in the organization are agreeable to solutions by human relationships. However, it does
not fit efficiently in case of the warehouse industry as if the warehouse workers are satisfied
then they might not be productive. In addition to this, this approach cannot be preserved as
comprehensive bundle for dealing with human being successfully as no attempt had been
made for learning as well as investigating the behaviour of humans methodically and
systematically (Reece, 2017).
CONCLUSION
To conclude it can be said that both the concepts of scientific management as well as
human relation theory are quite different in terms of design however the main aim of the both
the concepts is same that is attaining the desired objectives. It is important in the context of
the warehouse industry that both these concepts should be applied uniformly after thorough
study. Moreover, both the concepts holds a similar position and no one is superior then other.
In addition to this, it has also been originated in the study that scientific management can
partially elucidate the management of the warehouses in relation with the manner they carry
out specialization of remuneration, labour and measurement of performance on the
production level. Further, the paper has significantly pointed out the weaknesses of scientific
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management and proposes the other theory such as Hawthorne Works Experiment by Mayo.
Because of the limited time period, the paper has revealed different drawbacks of both the
concepts which cannot be covered in the discussion of such kind of small paper. Thus, further
study is also recommended like management practices being adopted by warehouses under
the view of varied theories.
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REFERENCES
Books and journals
Barnat, R., 2015. The Human Relations Movement. Web.
Clegg S.R., 2016. Managing and Organisations: An Introduction to Theory and Practice.
SAGE Publications Ltd.
Daft, R., 2016. Understanding Management. London: Cengage Learning.
DuBrin, A.J., 2019. Essentials of management. 8thed. Mason, OH: Thomson Business &
Economics.
Fayol, H., 1949. General and industrial management (C. Storrs, Trans.). London: Sir Isaac
Pitman & Sons.
Gronroos C., 2016. From scientific management to service management: a management
perspective for the age of service competition. International Journal of Service
Industry Management, 5(1), p.5-20.
Gupta, A., 2019. Principles of Management. New York, PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.
Hodgetts, R.M. and Hegar, K.W., 2018. Modern human relations at work. Mason, OH:
Thomson/ South-western.
Jeacle I., 2014. Emporium of glamour and sanctum of scientific management: the early
twentieth-century department store. Management Decision, 42(9), p.1162-1177.
Khurana, A., 2019. Scientific Management: A Management Idea to Reach a Mass Audience.
New Delhi: Global India Publications.
Langfred, C., 2020. The paradox of self‐management: individual and group autonomy in
work groups. Journal of Organizational Behaviour, 21(5), pp.563–585.
Malik, F., 2011. Strategy: Navigating in the New World. Germany: Alexander Street Press.
Mayo. E., 2016. The Human Problems of an Industrial Civilization. Harvard University
Press.
McGregor, D., 2015. The Human Side of Enterprise. McGraw-Hill.
Mohamed, R. and Nor, C., 2013. The Relationship between McGregor’s X-Y Theory
Management Style and Fulfilment of Psychological Contract: A Literature Review,
HRMars International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences,
3(5), pp.715-720.
Onday, O., 2016. Human Resource Theory: From Hawthorne Experiments of Mayo to
Groupthink of Janis. European Centre for Research Training and Development UK,
4(1), pp.95-110.
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Parker, M., 2020. Organizational Culture and Identity. SAGE Publications Ltd.
Reece, B., 2017. Human Relations. London, Cengage Learning.
Sapru, R.K., 2018. Administrative theories and management thought. New Delhi: PHI
Learning.
Taylor, F.W., 2014. The Principles of Scientific Management. Harper & Brothers.
Udin, N. and Hossain, F., 2015. Evolution of modern management through Taylorism: An
adjustment of Scientific Management comprising behavioural science. Procedia
Computer Science, 62(1), pp.578-584.
Vijai, J.P., 2015. Relevance of F.W. Taylor’s principles to modern shop-floor practices: A
benchmarking work study. Emerald Publishing Limited, 24(2), p.445-466.
Wilton, N., 2019. An Introduction to Human Resource Management. New York: SAGE
Publications Ltd.
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