Principles of Management Test - 6

Unity of direction is concerned with one head one plan because:

• All the units of an organisation should be moving towards the same objectives through coordinated and focussed efforts.
• Each group of activities having the same objective must have one head and one plan.
• This ensures unity of action and coordination.
• For example, if a company is manufacturing motorcycles as well as cars then it should have two separate divisions for both of them. Each division should have its own incharge, plans and execution resources.

• Esprit de corps is a French phrase that translates into 'group spirit'. 
• It is one of the principles of Henri Fayol.
• Management should promote a team spirit of unity and harmony among employees, according to Fayol.

• According to Fayol, chain of authority and communication should not be violated in the normal course of formal communication.
• A worker cannot directly contact the CEO of the company. If at all she/he has to, then all the formal levels i.e., foreman, superintendent, manager, director etc have to
  know about the matter.
• However, in an emergency it can be possible that a worker can contact CEO directly. This is called Gang Plank.

• Fredrick Winslow Taylor (March 20,1856 – March 21, 1915) was an American mechanical engineer.
• He died in 1915 due to pneumonia.

• The 14 principles of management propounded by Henri Fayol. Scalar Chain is one of the principle given by Henri Fayol which suggeest that organisations should have a chain of authority and communication that runs from top to bottom and should be followed by managers and the subordinates.
• Fatigue study, Method study and Motion study are work study techniques given by F.W. Taylor.

Functional foremanship is an extension of the principle of division of work and specialisation to the shop floor.

• Each worker will have to take orders from these eight foremen in the related process or function of production.
• Foremen should have intelligence, education, tact, grit, judgment, special knowledge, manual dexterity, and energy, honesty and good health.
• Since all these qualities could not be found in a single person so Taylor proposed eight specialists.

Taylor advocated that Under the factory manager there was a planning incharge and a production incharge.Under Production incharge, personnel who would work were

1. Speed boss - Responsible for timely and accurate completion of job.
2. Gang boss - Responsible for keeping machine and tools ready for operation.
3. Repair boss - To Ensure prope working condition of machines.
4. Inspector - To Check the quality of work.

• Taylor advocated separation of planning and execution functions in functional foremanship.
• Under the factory manager there was a planning incharge and a production incharge.
• Those with technical mastery, intelligence and grit may be given planning work.
• Those with energy and good health may be assigned execution work.
• It leads to specialisation.

On close examination of body motions, for example, it is possible to find out:
(i) Motions which are productive
(ii) Motions which are incidental (e.g., going to stores)
(iii) Motions which are unproductive.

Taylor suggested that Unnecessary movements (unproductive motions) are sought to be eliminated so that it takes less time to complete the job efficiently.

• According to F.W. Taylor scientific method should be used to analyse methods of production prevalent under the rule of thumb.
• The best practices can be kept and further refined to develop a standard which should be followed throughout the organisation.
• This can be done through work-study techniques developed by taylor which include time study, motion study, fatigue study and method study.