Final answer:
The statement is True. Scientific management, introduced by Frederick Winslow Taylor, aimed to maximize efficiency by finding the 'one best way' to perform each job, which usually led to economic incentives for workers through increased productivity.
Step-by-step explanation:
True or False: Scientific management is based on economic incentives and the premise that there is "one best way" to perform any job. The statement is True. The principles of scientific management, developed by Frederick Winslow Taylor, focused on improving productivity by reducing wasteful movements and optimizing every aspect of the production process.
Taylor's management approach, sometimes referred to as "stop-watch management," encouraged factory owners to maximize efficiency and profitability. Managers regulated worker methods more strictly and implemented Taylor's ideas by speeding up assembly lines. This emphasis on repetitive tasks often led workers to feel dehumanized and reduced to mere cogs in the industrial machine.
Moreover, Taylor believed that by conducting time-motion studies, you could identify the one best way to perform work, which benefits both the employer and employee. This best way meant standardizing tasks for maximum productivity and, as a result, potentially higher wages for workers due to increased output.