Taylor first develops the Taylorism in early 20th century, this system also known as “Scientific Management”. Taylor believes that the fundamental purpose of business management is to maximise labour productivity in both employee and employer side, for the purpose of improve economics efficiency. So according to Taylor himself in The Principles of Scientific Management, 1911, “The principal object of management should be to secure the maximum prosperity for the employer, coupled with the maximum prosperity for each employee.
” The purpose is to increase labour productivity in order to increase corporate profits or achieve the goal of profit maximization. This essay will answer what is “Taylorism”, what are criticisms of it and do firms uses Taylorism today. Main features of Taylorism Scientific management, as the named called, is an initial attempt that applies science method to business enterprises, which experience dramatically development and create problems with the labour control.
The main aim of Talyorism is achieve economics efficiency by identifying every individuals tools and work processes in production, then use scientific experiment to establish a standard production processes in order to maximase efficiency. Therefore, classify reasons that lead to inefficiency become essential. In Taylorism, inefficiency exists in both workers and management; “slacking” and “soldering” are main inefficiency factors. Moreover, there are two forms of soldiering, natural which due to natural instinct of men to stretch-out and systematic soldiering that refer to relations between workers.
The Essay on Taylor and the Gilbreths
Scientific management focuses on improving efficiency and output through scientific studies of workers' processes. 1. fig. 1 Frederick Winslow Taylor Frederick Winslow Taylor is considered the creator of scientific management. * Scientific management, or Taylorism, is a management theory that analyzes work flows to improve economic efficiency, especially labor productivity. This management theory, ...
In manager side, inefficiency can be regard as incompetence. (Rose, 1978) The most creative part of Taylorsim is “work-study”, that is an experiment of work in order to find “one-best-way” to fulfill the task. The procedure of work-study include, first is select certain amount of skilled labour, second is observe they work in practice to identify relevant element engaged and timing every processes, third, eliminate unnecessary elements, select the quickest methods derived for each elements and set up a appropriate working routine to achieve the “one-best-way”.
(Rose, 1978) Based on scientific experiments, not only can designing the best setting of work processes but also the most reasonable labour allocation, standardised methods of operation, and the most appropriate working tools. For example, in “Shoveling” tests, he suggest that depends on the specific weight of material workers shoveled, shovel’s size should also be different. Consequently, he provides different shovels which is suitable for individuals to different workers. (NetMBA, 2010) Taylor’s scientific management system will develop a worker’s all potential to the highest level if there is no new element to engage.
In the Taylor’s system factories, unable to find an extra worker, each worker is like a machine to work incessantly. Taylor pointed out that the basic principles of management is match workers’ ability to appropriate work and find the most suitable job for employees, then training them to become “first-class” workers in order to encouraging them to maximise capacity at work. The “first-class” workers, referred by Taylor are the men who are suitable and most willing to do a certain job. They should “be so stupid and phlegmatic that he more nearly resembles in his mental make-up the ox than any other type.
” (Rose, 1978) The “first-class” selection of workers refers to personnel management in the enterprises is allocating the right people on the right jobs. With the aim of develop human potential and promote labor productivity. Taylor does not agree with the traditional work selection by the employees, and with their unreactive self-training. He implies the management should undertake this responsibility which involved scientific selection and continuous training of workers. The Management ought to study each worker’s personality, temperament and performance, identifying their ability.
The Essay on Fredrick Taylor and His Scientific Management Theory
Principles to scientific management and other theories Scientific management, as a classical management theory is a practice that deals with the careful selection of workers, the training of workers and supervising of workers for support. During the early 20th century a man called Fredrick. W. Taylor (also known as the father of scientific management) by then had a mechanical engineering ...
Instead, more important is the possibility of finding each worker’s development space. Taylor believes that the common deficiencies in the current wage system are exists, it is not fully mobilise the enthusiasm of employees, cannot satisfy the principle of maximum efficiency, so “a fair day’s pay for fair day’s work” been raised. He Develop a standard system to determine a reasonable and appropriate wage rate, which changed the estimate and experience-based approach in past. Additionally, cerate diffidence wage rates that rely on completeness of work.
If workers fulfill the task set by the management, they will get full wages. However, if a worker does not meet the fixed production task he will be paid by low wage rates and give a warning even be dismissed. Criticism of Taylor’s scientific management Since the Taylor, Scientific management theory has been continually improved, but the limitations of the Taylor system are gradually revealed. First of all, Taylor’s theory is the premise of a managed object “man” as ” rational economic animal “, is driven by the interests of profit in order to improve efficiency.
Scientific Management research focuses on the management of scientific, strictness and discipline which create a “ impartial, universal, lawlike in both the scientific and juridical sense” (Rose, 1978), rarely consider the human factor. Furthermore, Taylorism suggest that workmen can only be motivate by financial reward which adjust wages rate based on “piece-rate” and the “one best way” which set work as a certain fixed principle may not appropriate for everyone, psychological needs been ignorant as well.
Additionally, Taylorism gives too much significance to performance of individual not to group performance. Conversely, the success of a task depends not only on performance of individual workers, but also on performance of group workers. (Akrani, 2011) One example of criticism for Taylor comes from handling pig iron. At the time, Taylor conduct a research in a steel factory where have a group of iron need to handling, workers loading about 12. 5 tons per person per day. Taylor via productivity and time research, the work is divided into tiny process and basic movements of workers.
The Term Paper on Scientific Management – Frederick Taylor
... people were disdainful of Taylor’s scientific management (Roper). The theory was believed to be too dehumanizing (Roper). However, scientific management’s worker efficiency and work processes were still ... better to motivate and encourage workers to product through the establishment of more humanitarian wages, working conditions, work hours, and job security (Roper). ...
Using scientific method to allocate time, technical approaches and speed of pig iron, eliminate unnecessary element, and finally calculate instead based on experience estimation each worker can handling 47 to 48 tons per day. Then he picked a person, let him strictly obey instructions of the manager who holding a stopwatch timing him in order to know specific time he use in work and rest. Thus, this worker completed the 47. 5 tons of pig iron handling work in one day, his wages increased from previous $ 1. 15 to $ 1. 85. (Wrege & Hodgetts, 2000, p.
1248) Scientific management in contemporary business Since the 20th century, scientific management becomes popular in the U. S. and Europe. Nowadays, scientific management ideas still play a vitally important role in modern manufactory and fast-food industry. McDonald’s is one of the most influential and successful fast-food businesses which expand as a accelerating rate in worldwide. Furthermore, the “McDonaldisation” not only affect fast-food industry but education, leisure, health care and other aspect of society. The one of core feature of McDonaldisation is
Standardisation, that McDonald’s making hamburgers, fries, serving customers, cleaning tables and other works are detailed based on prior studies and determine the best way to carry out specific work. Then compiled into a written requirement to guide each branch managers and the general behavior of employees. And distributed to McDonald’s operators and employees all over the world to follow a standardised operations. Intensive training also involved, the company emphasise rules and regulations to ensure accurate understanding and implementation. (George, 1996) Conclusion
The Essay on Does Management Really Work?
At that article for the ninetieth anniversary of HBR, they wanted to ask a question. How three essential practices can address even the most complex global problems. The three essential practices’ are targets, incentives and monitoring. They establish researchers teams and asked managers a targeted list of open ended questions, designed for ferret out details about how their companies were -or ...
Scientific management ideas still play a huge role. Of course, Taylor’s scientific management also has its limitations, such as the scope of the study is relatively narrow and focusing on the production operations management. Also Taylor not involves modern enterprise management, marketing, sales and finance in his scientific management. More importantly, he assumed the limitations of human nature, namely that man is merely a machine, which will undoubtedly limit the Taylor’s vision and height. But it is also need other researcher creating a new management theory to supplement the scientific management. Word-count: 1411
