Successful management requires an understanding of the fundamental concepts of effective management techniques and principles. In order to gain such understanding and manage effectively and efficiently, managers must develop an awareness of past management principles, models and theories. From the beginning of the 20th century, the need for a formal theory of management became evident; Organizations needed a system to guide managers to improve worker productivity and efficiency. This urgency for a theory has seen the development of six major management approaches. This essay will focus on two of the classic management theories; scientific management theory and the human relations movement. The contributions of these two theories will be examined, followed by an analysis of the similarities and differences proposed by these two theories. The last point will see a discussion on the relevance of these two theories in modern managerial practice. Scientific management was developed in the early 1900s and led by Fredrick Winslow Taylor. Robbins, Bergman, Stagg, and Coulter (2006) describe scientific management as: The use of scientific methods to define the “best way” to accomplish a job. The objective of scientific management was to ensure that maximum productivity was achieved for both the employer and the employee. (Dwyer, 2005) Scientific management is essentially an authoritarian approach that divides the responsibilities of “thinking” and “doing” to the manager and the worker respectively. (Morgan, 1986). The main philosophies arising from the scientific management approach include: Emphasis is placed on experimentation, research and timed studies, as opposed to "rules of thumb", management and... middle of paper . ..... e change: the object lesson from Frederick Taylor's "Pig-tale". Journal of Management, 27, 585-601. Mohanty, RP and Sethi, BP (1996) TQM - a comparative approach. Work Study, 45, 13-19Morgan, G. (1986), Images of Organization, Sage, Newbury Park, CA. Parayitam, S., White, MA and Hough, JR (2002). . Taylor: precursors of management. Management Decision, 40, 1003-1012. Robbins, SP, Bergman, R., Stagg, I. and Coulter, M. (2006), Foundations of Management, 2nd ed., Prentice-Hall, Sydney.Rose, N. (2005), Human Relations Theory and People ManagementRetrieved from: http://www.sagepub.co.uk/PDF/Books/039184ch02.pdf{Accessed 03/30/2006]Wrege, CD and Perroni, A (1974) Taylor's pig-tale: A historical analysis of Fredrick W. Taylor's pig-iron experiment. Journal of the Academy of Management, 17, 6-27