|
Scientific
Management
Frederick W.
Taylor
(1856-1915)
|
In the past
the man
has been first; in the future
the system
must be first (Taylor, Principles of Scientific Management: 7). |
|
The
working man of today, if he is to consistently produce good work, must
feel that he is appreciated and paid accordingly. The best way to
appreciate him, is to know him; and the best way to know him is to measure his value (Charles Bedaux, from the movie: The Champagne Safari, 1996). |
 Production is governed by natural laws
These laws are independent of human judgment
Scientific Management will dicover these laws and use them to develop "the one best way" to management |
|
WHY
SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT
SKILLED WORKERS UNDERSTAND THEIR
JOBS BETTER THAN MANAGEMENT
MANAGEMENT USES RULES OF
THUMB/GUESSWORK
WORKERS ABUSE MANAGEMENT TRUST
- NATURAL SOLDIERING
- TAKING IT EASY; AN INSTINCTIVE REACTION TO MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY AND THE PAIN OF WORK
- SYSTEMATIC
SOLDIERING - PERFORMING TO AN UNWRITTEN NORM WHICH IS LOWER
THAN THE WRITTEN ONE; A DELIBERATIBE/CALCULATED REACTION
|
Hardly a competent worker can be
found in a large establishment, who does not devote a considerable part
of his time to studying just how slowly he can work and still convince
his employer that he is going at a good pace (Robert Kanigel,
The One Best Way: 171).
|
ON THEIR OWN, WORKERS CANNOT
DEVELOP THE SCIENTIFIC WAY OF DOING THEIR JOBS
|
|
THE
RABBLE HYPOTHESIS
SOCIETY CONSISTS OF A HORDE OF
UNORGANIZED INDIVIDUALS
EVERY INDIVIDUAL ACTS IN A MANNER
CALCULATED TO SECURE ONE'S SELF INTEREST (i.e., maximum money
for minimum effort at work)
EVERY INDIVIDUAL THINKS LOGICALLY,
TO THE BEST OF ONE'S ABILITY, IN THE SERVICE OF THIS AIM
|
What do these assumptions mean?
What kind of society does Taylor have in mind?
How do these assumptions square with the notion of an informal group that
forces its members to comply with unwritten standards that are lower
than the stadards of the efficiency engineers?
|
|
|
HOW TO IMPROVE PRODUCTION
TIME AND MOTION STUDIES -- HOW LONG SHOULD IT TAKE TO COMPLETE A JOB?
PIECE-RATE SYSTEM OF COMPENSATION -- PRODUCE MORE/EARN MORE
SYSTEMATIC SELECTION AND TRAINING -- WE WANT ONLY THOSE WHO FIT THE REQUIREMENTS OF OUR SYSTEM
NEW ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE -- DIFFUSION OF POWER
|
|
SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT
PRINCIPLES
SCIENCE, NOT A RULE OF THUMB -- MEASURE-ANALYZE-MAKE RULES; FIND THE ONE-BEST-WAY
HARMONY, NOT DISCORD -- PATERNALISM
COOPERATION, NOT INDIVIDUALISM -- COMPLIANCE
MAXIMUM OUTPUT, NOT SOLDIERING -- WHAT ARE THE WORKERS CAPABLE OF?
THE DEVELOPMENT OF EACH WORKER TO
THE WORKER'S MAXIMUM PHYSICAL CAPABILITY -- MUSCLE NOT BRAIN
| In our scheme, we do not ask for
the initiative of our men. We do not want any initiative.
All we want of them is to obey the orders we give them, do what we say,
and do it quick (Kanigel: 169) |
|
|
SCIENTIFIC
MANAGEMENT
TECHNIQUES
DIVORCE OF PLANNING AND EXECUTION;
CENTRALIZED PLANNING
SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS OF EACH
DISTINCT OPERATION
DETAILED INSTRUCTION AND SUPERVISION
UNCOUPLE DIRECT AND INDIRECT
WORK
SYSTEMATIC RECRUITING OF MENTALLY
AND PHYSICALLY FIT MEN
| Now one
of the very first requirements for a man who is fit to handle pig iron
as a regular occupation is that he shall be so stupid and so phlegmatic
that he more resembles in his mental make-up the ox than any other
type. The man who is mentally alert and intelligent is for this
very reason entirely unsuited to what would, for him, be the grinding
monotony of work of this character. Therefore the workman who is
best suited to handling pig iron is unable to understand the real
science of doing this class of work. He is so stupid that the
word "percentage" has no meaning to him, and he must consequently be
trained by a man more inteligent than himself into the habit of working
in accordance with the laws of this science before he can be successful
(Frederick Taylor, Principles of Scientific Management: 59). |
FUNCTIONAL MANAGEMENT/FOREMANSHIP:
- SETTING-UP BOSS
- SPEED BOSS
- QUALITY INSPECTOR
- REPAIR BOSS
PIECE-RATE SYSTEM OF COMPENSATION
|
|
TAYLOR'S NEW DEAL AT WORK
You
do it my way, by my standards, at the speed I mandate, and in so doing
achieve a level of output I ordain, and I'll pay you handsomely for it,
beyond anything you might have imagined. All you have to do is
take orders, give up your way of doing the job for mine (Kanigel: 214).
1. What is the essence of the relationship Taylor is asking employees to enter?
|
|
A
FEW MORE POINTS
SM IS A PHILOSOPHY AND A
SET OF PRINCIPLES
 TAYLOR
CHANGED THE DISCOURSE OF MANAGEMENT BY ASKING NEW
QUESTIONS. NOT, HOW LONG DID A JOB TAKE TO COMPLETE BUT, HOW
LONG SHOULD IT TAKE? WHAT WERE THE MEN CAPABLE OF? WHAT
WAS POSSIBLE? WHAT WAS THE IDEAL TO WHICH ANY HUMAN PERFORMANCE
MUST BE COMPARED?
SM RENDERS WORKERS CONTROLLABLE,
MANAGEABLE, REPLACEABLE - A POLITICAL STATEMENT
SM BUREAUCRATIZES THE STRUCTURE OF
CONTROL, BUT DOES NOT DO THE SAME TO THE EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP
SM RECOGNIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF
COOPERATION, GAINING WORKER CONSENT, AND DEVELOPING SHARED
MANAGEMENT-WORKER UNDERSTANDINGS
SM EMPHASIZES A PEACEFUL
COEXISTENCE BETWEEN CAPITAL, MANAGEMENT, AND LABOR
TRUST IS LIMITED - TEAMWORK IS
STRICTLY REGULATED
| ... not more than
four men were to be allowed to work in a labor gang without a special
permit, signed by the General Superintendent of the works, this special
permit to extend for one week (Taylor: 73). |
SM IS A "THOUGHT REVOLUTION IN
MANAGEMENT"
| When,
however, the elements of this mechanism, such as time study, functional
foremanship, etc., are used without being accompanied by the true
philosophy of management, the results are in many cases disastrous...
the really great problem involved in a change from the management of
"initiative and incentive" to Scientific Management consists in a
complete revolution
in the mental attitude and the habits of all those engaged in the
management, as well as the workmen... This change in the mental
attitude of the workman imperatively demands time... The writer has
over and over again warned against those who contemplated making this
change that it was a matter, even in a simple establishment, of from
two to three years, and that in some cases it requires from four to
five years (Taylor: 130-1. My emphases). |
MANAGEMENT
SHOULD LISTEN TO ITS EMPLOYEES ... SOMETIMES
|
It is true that with
scientific management the workman is not allowed to use whatever
implements and methods he sees fit in the daily practise of his
work. Every encouragement, however, should be given him to
suggest improvements, both in methods and in implements. And
whenever a workman proposes an improvement, it should be the policy of
the management to make a careful analysis of the new method, and if
necessary conduct a series of experiments to determine accurately the
relative merit of the new suggestion and of the old standard. And
whenever the new method is found to be markedly superior to the old, it
should be adopted as the new standard for the whole
establishment. The workman should be given the full credit for
the imporvement, and should be paid a cash premium as a reward for his
ingenuity (Taylor: 128. My emphases).
This indicates a possible tension between a
lack of trust in workers and a strong need to control them, and a
recognition that workers can offer more than just physical power.
It also suggests a possibe contradiction between the notion that
workers can be smart enough to make useful suggestions for improvement
and that they are so stupid that they do not know the meaning of the
word "percentage."
|
|
|
TAYLORISM & FORDISM
HIERARCHICAL WORK SYSTEM
UNSKILLED FRONT-LINE WORKERS
SPECIALIZATION
NO, OR LITTLE, LEARNING EXPERIENCE
LITTLE, ON-THE-JOB TRAINING
 PIECE-RATE SYSTEM OF
COMPENSATION
CONTINUOUS FLOW TECHNOLOGY
HIGH-VOLUME PRODUCTION
STANDARDIZED CONSUMER GOODS
UNIFORM MARKETS/CONSUMERS
|
|
TAYLORISM
IN ACTION WHEN THE WORKPLACE TURNS INTO A "CONTESTED TERRAIN," THE WORKERS WILL LIKELY FIND A WAY TO UNDERMINE THE SYSTEM - WHEN WORK BECOMES A STRAITJACKET, THE WORKERS WILL LIKELY DO WHATEVER THEY CAN TO GET OUT OF IT (Lucy and Ethel wrap chocolates!) |
References:
Frederick W. Taylor. 1985. (Originally 1911). Principles of
Scientific Management. Easton: Hive.
Robert Kanigel. 1997. The One Best Way: Frederick Winslow Taylor and the Enigma
of Efficiency. Penguin.
Bruce E. Kaufman. 2004. The Global Evolution of Industrial
Relations: Events, Ideas and The IIRA. Geneva: ILO.
|
