Cambridge O Level Business Studies · Syllabus 7115 · People in Business
Taylor's Theory of Scientific Management
What is Taylor's Theory of Scientific Management?
An approach to motivation and work organisation that treats employees as motivated chiefly by money. It breaks a job into simple specialised tasks, measures the time each should take, trains workers in the single best method, supervises closely, and links pay directly to measured output, typically through piece rates. It can raise output in repetitive, measurable work, but risks lower quality, weaker teamwork and monotony, and it ignores the non-financial reasons people work.
This definition is part of the People in Business chapter in Cambridge O Level Business Studies.
Last reviewed Syllabus 2026