Scientific Management Theory: Principles Of The Theory

TAYLOR’S SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT
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Introduction
Management has been an integral component of an organization due to its development in previous years. Summarized by functions which include planning, organizing, coordinating, controlling and staffing, management has resulted into effective processes that enable an organization achieve its goals and objectives. These processes have also resulted in the maintaining of conducive environment that helps employees to work at optimum efficiency ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "ISSN" : "00990027", "abstract" : "The Principles of Scientific Management by FW Taylor, and The One Best Way: Frederick Winslow Taylor & the Enigma of Efficiency by R Kanigel are reviewed.", "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Metzgar", "given" : "Carl R.", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "container-title" : "Professional Safety", "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2004" ] ] }, "page" : "49", "title" : "The Principles of Scientific Management/The One Best Way: Frederick Winslow Taylor & the Enigma of Efficiency", "type" : "article-journal", "volume" : "49" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=f8ec79d5-7262-4a37-8953-029b1c4f63c0" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "formattedCitation" : "(Metzgar, 2004)", "plainTextFormattedCitation" : "(Metzgar, 2004)", "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Metzgar, 2004)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" }(Metzgar, 2004). Individual efforts by each employee are also combined to produce complex systems that have proved to be the basis for many successful organizations such as Google and Apple. The development of management practices are however as a result of Frederick Taylor’s theory of scientific management. Many managers follow it in order to propel their organizations forward.
Scientific management theory
Having propagated the era in modern management, Frederick Taylor saw the need to eradicate the ill-directed movements of men as it had been in most social organizations. According to his findings, these movements resulted in national loss which was a detriment to national philosophies and morals ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "DOI" : "10.1108/17511340810893108", "ISBN" : "1355252X", "ISSN" : "1751-1348", "PMID" : "210946630", "abstract" : "The purpose of the paper is to critically question conventional views of the one-dimensional, mechanistic and negative image of human nature of Scientific Management. Both for worker behavior and for managerial behavior positive aspects of an image of human nature are reconstructed in organizational economic terms. Through institutional economic reconstruction, drawing on the methods and concepts of organizational and institutional economics, the portrayal of workers and managers by Scientific Management is critically assessed. It is suggested that a conceptual asymmetry exists in Taylor's writings regarding the portrayal of human nature of workers and managers. Whereas for workers a model of self-interest was applied (through the concepts of \"systematic soldering\" and \"natural soldiering\"), Taylor portrayed managers through a positive, behavioral model of human nature that depicted the manager as \"heartily cooperative\". The key thesis is that by modeling managers through a rather positive image of human nature Taylor could no longer methodically apply the model of economic man in order to test out and prevent interaction conflict between potentially self-interested managers and workers. The paper focused on Scientific Management to advance the thesis that the portrayal of human nature has been ill approached by management and organization theorists who were apparently pioneering an institutional and organizational economics. Future research has to broaden the scope of research to other pioneers in management and organization research, but also to critics in behavioral sciences, such as organization psychology, who may misunderstand how economics approaches the portrayal of human nature, in particular regarding self-interest. Taylor's portrayal of managers as naturally good persons, who were not self-interested, caused implementation conflict and implementation problems for Scientific Management and led to his summoning by the US Congress. By modeling managers as heartily cooperative, Taylor could no longer analyze potentially self-interested behavior, even opportunistic behavior of managers in their interactions with workers. Scientific Management had thus no remedy to handle \"soldiering\" of managers. This insight, that managerialism needs to be accounted for in a management theory, has manifold practical implications for management consultancy, management education, and for the practice of management in general. Students and practitioners have to be i\u2026", "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Wagner\u2010Tsukamoto", "given" : "Sigmund", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "container-title" : "Journal of Management History", "id" : "ITEM-1", "issue" : "4", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2008" ] ] }, "page" : "348-372", "title" : "Scientific Management revisited", "type" : "article-journal", "volume" : "14" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=00e15b83-149f-4977-99a4-5d8ddb1b6680" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "formattedCitation" : "(Wagner\u2010Tsukamoto, 2008)", "plainTextFormattedCitation" : "(Wagner\u2010Tsukamoto, 2008)", "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Wagner\u2010Tsukamoto, 2008)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" }(Wagner‐Tsukamoto, 2008). He sought out to transform management from the traditional “by rule of the thumb” method to a more acceptable practice which consisted of one of the best practices that an individual could engage in. In his model, he also incorporated the training of workers in a systematic manner. The training helped to overcome the personal motives that each individual had in their pursuit of power in the work place. Personal discretion in each individual’s tasks would only result in division among the employees thus the training would foster unity among them to achieve a common goal or objective. His model would also result in the sharing of the workload in the organization. By dividing the tasks into different sections, they could be assigned to different groups who would handle them depending on their expertise ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "ISSN" : "00990027", "abstract" : "The Principles of Scientific Management by FW Taylor, and The One Best Way: Frederick Winslow Taylor & the Enigma of Efficiency by R Kanigel are reviewed.", "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Metzgar", "given" : "Carl R.", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "container-title" : "Professional Safety", "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2004" ] ] }, "page" : "49", "title" : "The Principles of Scientific Management/The One Best Way: Frederick Winslow Taylor & the Enigma of Efficiency", "type" : "article-journal", "volume" : "49" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=f8ec79d5-7262-4a37-8953-029b1c4f63c0" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "formattedCitation" : "(Metzgar, 2004)", "plainTextFormattedCitation" : "(Metzgar, 2004)", "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Metzgar, 2004)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" }(Metzgar, 2004).
In the current workplace, Taylor’s theory is hard to identify due to the presence of automated machines doing most of the duties in most plants. These automated systems are however functional because of the application of scientific management ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "DOI" : "10.1080/19416520802211651", "ISBN" : "1941-6520", "ISSN" : "1941-6520", "PMID" : "39786576", "abstract" : "This chapter advocates the good scientific practice of systematic research syntheses in Management and Organizational Science (MOS). A research synthesis is the systematic accumulation, analysis and reflective interpretation of the full body of relevant empirical evidence related to a question. It is the critical first step in effective use of scientific evidence. Synthesis is not a conventional literature review. Literature reviews are often position papers, cherry- picking studies to advocate a point of view. Instead, syntheses systematically identify where research findings are clear (and where they aren\u2019t), a key first step to establishing the conclusions science supports. Syntheses are also important for identifying contested findings and productive lines for future research. Uses of MOS evidence, that is, the motives for undertaking a research synthesis include scientific discovery and explanation, improved management practice guidelines, and formulating public policy. We identify six criteria for establish- ing the evidentiary value of a body of primary studies in MOS. We then pinpoint the stumbling blocks currently keeping the field from making effective use of its ever-expanding base of empirical studies. Finally, this chapter outlines (a) an approach to research synthesis suitable to the domain of MOS; and (b) supporting practices to make synthesis a collective MOS project.", "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Rousseau", "given" : "Denise M.", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" }, { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Manning", "given" : "Joshua", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" }, { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Denyer", "given" : "David", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "container-title" : "The Academy of Management Annals", "id" : "ITEM-1", "issue" : "1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2008" ] ] }, "page" : "475-515", "title" : "11\u2003Evidence in Management and Organizational Science: Assembling the Field\u2019s Full Weight of Scientific Knowledge Through Syntheses", "type" : "article-journal", "volume" : "2" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=02e73b3a-4456-44a4-811c-e5ee2a951b11" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "formattedCitation" : "(Rousseau, Manning and Denyer, 2008)", "plainTextFormattedCitation" : "(Rousseau, Manning and Denyer, 2008)", "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Rousseau, Manning and Denyer, 2008)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" }(Rousseau, Manning and Denyer, 2008). To the common person, assumptions are made easily that conclude that they utilize different principles to work. Most people believe that they work based on logical equations but they function the way they do because of the principles set by Taylor.
Principles Of The Theory
Scientific Management theory as developed by Taylor was based on four major principles. The first one involves replacing the “rule of thumb” method with scientific methods that would be used to study work and develop efficient methods that would simplify the performance of tasks. The second principle is to train workers for their jobs and assign them tasks based on the qualifications and capability as opposed to assigning just any tasks to any worker ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "ISSN" : "22191933", "PMID" : "904530688", "abstract" : "A reflective survey paper dealing with the evolution of management thought and practice that has taken place during the one hundred years following the publication, in 1911, of The Principles of Scientific Management by Frederick W. Taylor. This paper includes a description of the background, education, and early work experiences of Taylor, as well as, a discussion of the time period, during which, Taylor was conceptualizing the principles of scientific management while employed in various capacities in the steel industry. Next, is a discussion describing his test, implementation, and validation of the principles of scientific management? Discussion of Taylor's legacy in the last part of this paper, includes the effect that his principles of scientific management have had on many different facets of the discipline of business and management including: accounting cost control, compensation management, human resources management, organized labor relations, operations process control management, operations service sector management, quality management, and technology management.", "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Myers Jr.", "given" : "Lewis a.", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "container-title" : "International Journal of Business & Social Science", "id" : "ITEM-1", "issue" : "20", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2011" ] ] }, "page" : "8-11", "title" : "One Hundred Years Later: What Would Frederick W. Taylor Say?", "type" : "article-journal", "volume" : "2" }, "uris" : [ "/documents/?uuid=b3b9373a-70ee-4f61-960c-27955c2a5e7f" ] } ], "mendeley" : { "formattedCitation" : "(Myers Jr., 2011)", "plainTextFormattedCitation" : "(Myers Jr., 2011)", "previouslyFormattedCitation" : "(Myers Jr., 2011)" }, "properties" : { "noteIndex" : 0 }, "schema" : "https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json" }(Myers Jr., 2011). The workers would also be motivated enough to work at maximum efficiency. The third principle is to monitor the performance of every employee in their work. Depending on the appraisal of each employee’s performance, instructions would be given to each employee and supervision as well to make sure that they use the most efficient ways of performing their assigned tasks. The fourth principle is to make sure that the employees work efficiently by allocating the work between managers and the workers. The managers would be involved in planning and training and the workers would be allowed to perform their tasks more efficiently ADDIN CSL_CITATION { "citationItems" : [ { "id" : "ITEM-1", "itemData" : { "ISSN" : "00990027", "abstract" : "The Principles of Scientific Management by FW Taylor, and The One Best Way: Frederick Winslow Taylor & the Enigma of Efficiency by R Kanigel are reviewed.", "author" : [ { "dropping-particle" : "", "family" : "Metzgar", "given" : "Carl R.", "non-dropping-particle" : "", "parse-names" : false, "suffix" : "" } ], "container-title" : "Professional Safety", "id" : "ITEM-1", "issued" : { "date-parts" : [ [ "2004" ] ] }, "page" : "49", "title" : "The Principles of Scientif...