Frederick Taylor, the principles of Scientific Management opines that scientific analysis leads to the discovery of the one best way to do things and carry out an operation. the one best way is to increase the efficiency of workers in order to increase production within the least possible time,using the least possible resources, thereby reducing wastage to the minimum and increasing profits to the maximum. the  scientific management theory connotes a scientific way of managing an organisation, a theory that paved the way for many modern management approaches and techniques. 

Historically. the demands of the industrial Revolution necessitated some complexities in the workings of organisations. tje industrial Revolution, no doubt, brought along with it enormous capital but also an ever-increasing demand for goods and production had to be fast tracked to meet the demands around the world. the prevalent working conditions, tools and orthodox procedures however proved insufficient as workers used their individual methods of working, resulting in inconsistent performance. Taylor therefore advocates the scientific management approach towards industrial efficiency and economy as well as profit. 

The basic principles of Taylor's scientific management theory include:

(a) standardization of work methods:  

Taylor lays emphasis on the right man for the right job policy which involves adopting a scientific method for each task of a worker through scientific observation and analysis of a particular job to find out the best way to do that task, as well as the use of benchmark and standardized equipment, thereby reducing cost of production and increasing efficiency. 

(b) equal division of work and responsibility between management and workers:

Taylor advocates that the management has to seriously undertake function for which it is best suited to. that is, planning, organising, controlling, and determining methods of work leaving the worker with doing his job through the skills he had. this principle, according to Taylor, would help create a mutual understanding and dependence between the latter and the former. He opines that this mutual harmony is the just and rightful characteristic of scientific management. 

(c)  Scientific selection of workers and their progressive development:

Through this principle, the need for the management to study the mature and character of each job/work and then scientifically choose the right worker who possesses the necessary skills for the job with attendant limitations is met. this is to be done without  neglecting the systematic and thorough training of workers for the job after being selected. 

(d) Mutual collaboration of workers and management:

According to this principle, there should be an active cooperation and cordial relation between management and workers in order to increase the production and efficiency of the company/ organisation. 

Apart from these four basic principles, Taylor also expresses concern about mental revolution involving a change in the attitudes of work of workers and management towards each other and this responsibilities as well being as incentive schemes for workers to serve as motivation in the process of scientific management. 

Although the scientific management theory has been criticized for being pro-capitalist in orientation, too mechanical in its conception of workers as more of machines than humans over tasking managers through its advocation for equal division of work and responsibilities between workers and robotizing workers with its emphasis on rules, the significance of this theory can never be underestimated as it gave rise to the growth of management science and other theories that followed. Taylor's theory brought a practical solution to the enormous problems of complex and growing organisation at the peak of the industrial revolution as well as led to the alleviation of many problems of workers and management.