Limitations Of Scientific Management

Scientific management was criticized on several grounds:-

1. Exploitative device:- Scientific management had two objectives: increasing workers’ productivity and improving workers’ economic welfare. It only work on first objective as management did not share the benefits of increased productivity with workers.
2. Depersonalized work:- Scientific management supplied standardized jobs to workers which made them to repeat the same job daily creating boredom and monotony. Workers do not like the idea of becoming a glorified machine tool.  
3. Unpsychological:- Scientific management was known as unpsychological as there is no accurate information as to how the wages are to be given, how the workers’ efficiency is to be measured and so on.
4. Undemocratic:- Managers are for planning the operations and workers for implementing the same. So one group always performed challenging tasks and other one is loaded with same standardized job. Scientific management treats workers as unthinkable animals.
5. Anti-social:- It is anti-social because workers are treated as glorified economic tools only. According to Dr. C.S. Myers it is anti-social because it aims at excluding the average workman from the field of work as far as possible.
6. Unoriginal:-  Scholars like Hoagland questioned the originality of Taylor’s ideas and felt that his contribution had been overrated. According to them, Taylor’s report on Bethlehem Steel was almost completely a lie.
7. Unrealistic:- Taylor believed that employees are motivated by material benefits. He therefore, concentrated on physical and financial needs, completely ignoring the social and ego needs.