Scientific Management
“Scientific Management was the product of the 19th century industrial practices and has no relevance to the present day”
What comes to your mind when you hear the words “Scientific Management”? Is it Taylorism? Fordism? Or its relevance today? Scientific Management refers to a theory of Management that optimized the way tasks were performed and increased the productivity of the workforce. The Scientific Management theory was founded in 1880’s by Frederick Taylor, who was exposed to poor management techniques whilst working himself, and developed the Scientific Management theory to increase the efficiency of the workforce, increase the control by introducing a hierarchical system, and to increase productivity by standardizing tasks (Buchanan, 2010). Because of Taylor’s contribution to Scientific Management, some also call it Taylorism. Since the introduction of Scientific Management, many businesses started to apply this new style to their own business as it proved to increase employee productivity and efficiency.
The principal objective of management should be to secure the maximum prosperity for the employer and their employees (Taylor, 1967), Taylor believed in his initiative and incentive system, which meant that if employees worked more efficient and productive by taking the initiative to do their work, they would be rewarded with incentives (mainly financial). This system supported the principles of management, as employers would get more out of their employees, and employees would get rewarded for their work, which would often secure maximum prosperity. When looking at the present day, one could argue that Taylors initiative and incentive system is still relevant today, in today business world managers and employees often get a bonus for their performance. And although Scientific Management was present in the 19th century, it also has relevance in the present day. This essay will explain the theories of Scientific Management before answering the given
What comes to your mind when you hear the words “Scientific Management”? Is it Taylorism? Fordism? Or its relevance today? Scientific Management refers to a theory of Management that optimized the way tasks were performed and increased the productivity of the workforce. The Scientific Management theory was founded in 1880’s by Frederick Taylor, who was exposed to poor management techniques whilst working himself, and developed the Scientific Management theory to increase the efficiency of the workforce, increase the control by introducing a hierarchical system, and to increase productivity by standardizing tasks (Buchanan, 2010). Because of Taylor’s contribution to Scientific Management, some also call it Taylorism. Since the introduction of Scientific Management, many businesses started to apply this new style to their own business as it proved to increase employee productivity and efficiency.
The principal objective of management should be to secure the maximum prosperity for the employer and their employees (Taylor, 1967), Taylor believed in his initiative and incentive system, which meant that if employees worked more efficient and productive by taking the initiative to do their work, they would be rewarded with incentives (mainly financial). This system supported the principles of management, as employers would get more out of their employees, and employees would get rewarded for their work, which would often secure maximum prosperity. When looking at the present day, one could argue that Taylors initiative and incentive system is still relevant today, in today business world managers and employees often get a bonus for their performance. And although Scientific Management was present in the 19th century, it also has relevance in the present day. This essay will explain the theories of Scientific Management before answering the given
Bibliography: Adam Smith (1789). An inquiry into the nature and causese of the wealth of nations. London: W Buchanan, D. A., Huczynski, A. A., 2010. Organizational Behaviour. 7th ed. Edinburgh: Pearson Education Christopher D New York: Business History Conference Fredrick Winslow Taylor (1967). Principles of Scientific management George Ritzer (1998). The Mcdonaldization Thesis. London, California: Sage Publications Harry Braverman (1999). Labor and Monopoly Capitalism: The Degradation of Work in the Twentieth Century Miller, B. (2010). Frederick Winslow Taylor’s Principles of Scientific Management – Still Valid in Today’s Workplace? New York: .