How is Human Relations Movement Different from Scientific Management?

What distinguishes human relations movement from scientific management?

a. focuses on how jobs could be designed to improve productivity
b. emphasized the importance of informal social relations at work
c. views the firm as a machine and the manager as a machine operator
d. shifted emphasis from the social side of the firm to the output of the firm.

Answer:

The factor that distinguishes the human relations movement from scientific management is that it:

b. emphasized the importance of informal social relations at work.

The human relations movement is distinguished from scientific management by its focus on the social and psychological aspects of work, rather than merely on optimizing job design and productivity through time-motion studies and standardization.

Explanation: The factor that distinguishes the human relations movement from scientific management is that the human relations movement emphasized the importance of informal social relations at work. In contrast, scientific management, introduced by Frederick Winslow Taylor, focused on increasing productivity by optimizing work processes and had a tendency to view workers as extensions of machines rather than as social beings. Taylor's approach involved time-motion studies to enhance efficiency and his principle goal was to maximize profits for both employer and employee through better work systems, essentially viewing the firm as a machine and the manager as a machine operator.

On the other hand, human relations takes into account psychological and social factors, understanding that social relations and workers' attitudes could influence productivity. Studies in this movement considered factors such as management style and employee morale and found that these had a significant effect on worker efficiency and satisfaction.