Taylor’s Scientific Management and Its Impact
Scientific Management Theory, as introduced by Emperor Frederick Winslow Taylor, was the turning point in the organizational management field. Darwin’s thoughts came into the picture during the Industrial Revolution at the end of the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century, when the issue of productivity was discussed almost everywhere. Taylor tried to achieve maximum efficiency by studying how much time they performed each task. He claimed this approach should be based on dividing labour into simple operations and choosing the most efficient one. Specialized tasks or “task specialization” was the primary production approach at that time, eliminating unnecessary movements and simplifying the production process (Grey, 2017). The scientific management techniques contained observation and measurement of work processes and their scientific analysis. Taylor thought the use of time and motion studies for correctly completing tasks and therefore measures the time taken. The study of the practices incorporated from past research in these organizations could throw light on the areas that are set for improvement, and the management could implement changes that would enable the organizations to increase productivity.
Taylor shared his concept of an administrative arrangement between the managers and workers, which was integrated into a scientific method. For him, being a leader and a ship meant taking responsibility for determining objectives, defining jobs and tasks, and determining execution methods. At the same time, the workers should be obedient to the standardized procedures to enhance the work or the production. Humanizing the sentence comes down to the main idea that Taylor’s strategy was to cultivate a mutually trusting and cooperative culture of the administration and employees rather than hierarchical (Grey, 2017).
Scientific Management by Taylor has brought a reasonable and rational influence on managing groups of individuals. It was followed by several mechanization processes and other technological innovations in different spheres, like management, where systematic analysis and planning principles began to be used. Taylor’s notions shaped the basis for modern management methods, introducing performance evaluation, standardization and process improvement. However, on the other hand, Tylor’s theory, instead of being lauded, is criticized as well. In addition, detractors claim that Taylor’s philosophies cannot be applicable in the knowledge-based industries where creativity and innovation are considered indispensable (Grey, 2017).
Through scientific management, Taylor redefined the role of management in organizations by utilizing systematic analysis and planning to increase output and achieve the efficiency needed for success. Even though his thoughts became one of the pillars of management theory, there still needs to be a hum of doubt about whether we can postulate the zero-sum game between productivity and the wellness of our staff in modern organizations.
Value of Scientific Management in the 21st century
In today’s world, scientific management may not hold precise value, but its principles still apply, albeit a thought through the adaptation process is to suit the current times. One of the tenets of scientific management, consisting of parts such as task specialization, time and motion studies, and systematic planning, is the key to the success of different industries. The scientific management approach chiefly stands out by basing its teachings on productivity and efficiency improvement. In today’s disciplined world of business activities, companies battle to have the best process to stay caught up. Through her principdization and process improvement, Taylo’s principles offer helpful fodder for those wishing to focus on operational best practices (Kiran, 2016). As more is needed, the scientific management technique uses a structured approach to problem-solving and decision-making. While Scientific Management is all about advantages and benefits, it also has shortcomings. Critics counter that it neglected the human side of work and concentrated on eradicating work as a quantitative performance measure. In recent operational lives, employee engagement and well-being have been highly regarded factors for running the business.
On this note, Taylor’s theories can differ significantly in different industries and national cultures. In manufacturing organizations where tasks are repetitive, scientific management works very efficiently. However, it only has a small number of applications in industries that depend on creativity and innovation (Kiran, 2016). These criticisms, notwithstanding from Scientific Management, have evolved to be a critical factor in our current organizational theories and practices. Practically all modern management concepts derive their advancements from the leadership of Taylor in the field of efficiency and process optimization (Kiran, 2016). In summary, scientific management is a total of helpful stuff that managers can use at the beginning of the world’s first century. To a large extent, its principles have to be changed to suit the modern world. However, the primary lies in efficiency thinking, systematic computing, and continuous development, which have been relevant in different businesses.
References
Kiran, D. R. (2016). Total quality management: Key concepts and case studies. Butterworth-Heinemann. (Chapter five) Uploaded to Moodle.
Grey, C. (2017) A Very short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book about Studying Organizations. London: Sage
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