Fayol vs Taylor

Correct answer: A. Henry Fayol

Henry Fayol’s administrative approach addresses the management and coordination of an organisation as a whole. Taylor’s scientific management focuses more directly on improving work methods and efficiency in production.

Correct answer: B. Method study

Method study compares ways of doing a job to identify the best method. It is a technique of Taylor’s scientific management.

Correct answer: C. Orders from one superior versus instructions from several specialists

Unity of command means that an employee should receive orders from one superior. Under Taylor’s functional foremanship, a worker may receive instructions from several specialist foremen, creating the conflict.

Correct answer: C. Production slowing because workers make unnecessary movements

Taylor’s motion study examines the movements involved in a task and helps eliminate unnecessary ones. That makes it directly relevant when unnecessary worker movements are slowing production.

Correct answer: A. They guide order and coordination at different levels of an organisation

Fayol’s principles are general guidelines for managing an organisation. They can guide managers at different levels, rather than applying only to top management.

Correct answer: A. Reducing unnecessary cost and effort in the work

Scientific analysis helps identify wasteful methods and effort. Reducing unnecessary effort and cost can improve efficiency alongside increasing production.

Correct answer: B. Unity of direction

Fayol’s unity of direction means that activities with the same objective should follow one plan under one head. Different directions for departments with a shared objective suggest this principle may not be followed.

Correct answer: A. Because it means a cooperative change in the thinking and relations of management and workers

Taylor’s mental revolution calls for a change in the attitudes of both management and workers, replacing conflict with cooperation. It is therefore broader than a wage-increase plan.

Correct answer: A. Fayol emphasises fair payment, while Taylor pays different piece rates according to whether workers meet the set production standard.

The correct answer is A. Fayol’s principle calls for fair and reasonable remuneration. Taylor’s differential piece-rate system sets different rates based on output against a standard, rewarding workers who meet or exceed it with a higher rate.

Correct answer: B. Fatigue study

The correct answer is B, fatigue study. It examines how work causes fatigue and how rest intervals can be arranged to reduce it, helping workers sustain performance and avoid errors.

Correct answer: A. When rapid communication between employees at the same level is needed, with the appropriate superiors’ permission or knowledge.

The correct answer is A. A gang plank is an authorised shortcut for direct communication between employees at the same level, instead of following every link in the scalar chain. The relevant superiors should permit or be informed of this communication.

Correct answer: A. Standardisation sets uniform standards for work methods, tools or conditions, while order means arranging people and materials in their proper places.

The correct answer is A. Taylor’s standardisation establishes uniform standards for items such as methods and tools. Fayol’s order principle concerns having the right person and material in the right place.

Correct answer: B. Henry Fayol

The correct answer is B, Henry Fayol. He described management as a set of administrative functions, including planning, organising, commanding, coordinating and controlling.

Correct answer: A. To match each worker to suitable work based on ability and provide the necessary training.

The correct answer is A. Scientific selection aims to place workers in jobs suited to their abilities and then train them so they can perform the work effectively.

Correct answer: A. Encourage employee suggestions and assess workable ideas through systematic analysis.

The correct answer is A. Fayol’s initiative encourages employees to think of and carry out ideas. A manager can welcome those ideas while using systematic analysis to assess whether they are practical and effective.

Correct answer: A. Fayol’s approach addresses administrative structure and principles, while Taylor’s focuses on improving work methods and efficiency.

The correct answer is A. Fayol’s work focuses broadly on administration and organisational principles, while Taylor’s scientific management focuses more directly on work methods and operational efficiency. These different emphases can be applied together.

Correct answer: B. Subordination of individual interest to general interest

The correct answer is B. Fayol’s principle of subordination of individual interest to general interest says that the organisation’s common interest should take precedence over an individual’s interest when they conflict.

Correct answer: A. Simplification reduces unnecessary variety, while standardisation sets uniform standards for the methods, tools or items used.

The correct answer is A. Simplification removes unnecessary varieties of products, parts or processes; standardisation sets uniform specifications or methods. Together, they can reduce complexity and waste.

Correct answer: A. Fayol emphasises specialisation in tasks, while Taylor emphasises specialisation in supervision.

The correct answer is A. Fayol’s division of work means dividing tasks so employees can specialise in particular kinds of work. Taylor’s functional foremanship instead divides supervisory duties among specialised foremen, each responsible for a particular aspect of supervision.

Correct answer: A. Maximum prosperity for both employer and employees

The correct answer is A. Taylor’s principle of maximum prosperity calls for prosperity for both the employer and employees, rather than benefit for only one side. The case describes this mutual benefit.

Correct answer: C. Paying every employee exactly the same regardless of the work or circumstances

The correct answer is C. Fayol’s equity principle calls for fair and considerate treatment; it does not require identical pay regardless of differences in work or circumstances. Fairness is not the same as treating every case identically.

Correct answer: A. Cooperation, not individualism

The correct answer is A. Taylor’s principles include cooperation between management and workers, alongside the use of scientific methods. Scientific methods alone do not fulfil the cooperation principle.

Correct answer: A. Keeping an unsuitable employee in the job permanently, regardless of the circumstances

The correct answer is A. Stability of personnel means avoiding unnecessary turnover so employees have time to learn and become effective. It does not mean keeping an unsuitable employee in a role indefinitely, regardless of circumstances.

Correct answer: A. Setting realistic production targets and planning labour requirements

The correct answer is A. A standard time indicates how long a task should take under specified conditions. Managers can use it to set production targets and estimate the labour needed for planned output.

Correct answer: A. Fayol calls for one plan and one head for activities with the same objective; Taylor’s planning department prepares work plans and methods for carrying out tasks.

The correct answer is A. Fayol’s unity of direction concerns coordinating activities with the same objective under one plan and one head. Taylor’s planning department focuses on preparing work plans and methods. Both concern planning, but at different levels and in different ways.