Plan
Principles
Legacy- philosophy of management
Legacy- scientific design of every aspect of every task
Legacy- scientific training & selection
Legacy- specialisation
Legacy- money as motivator
Advantages
Disadvantages
Examples
Rational Control
Carefully articulated universal methods & systems
Stream-lining of production process to increase productivity
Appeal to worker's self-interest with work seen as an economic endeavour
Scientific Management
Principle that there is one best way to organise work, according to a science of management based upon principles of standardisation of time & routinisation of motion as decided by authoritative experts
F.W Taylor
Late 1800s
Engineer
- developing a systematic approach to management
4 principles of scientific management
1) Scientific design of every aspect of every task
Task idea- work carefully planned out by management, complete written instructions- what to be done, how to do it, exact time allowed for doing it
- division of work into minute regularised movements
- th
Legacy of Taylorism- philosophy of management
Scientific approach to decision making: based on proven fact rather than on tradition, guesswork or personal opinion
- accepted in modern management
- Amazon
- workers assemble McDonalds burger
Legacy of Taylorism- scientific design of every aspect of every task
(Locke 1982)
Time & motion study
- widespread use, standard times
Standardised tools & procedures
- Standardisation principle is now well accepted
- technique of standardisation been extended beyond sphere of tool use to include other types of organisatio
Legacy of Taylorism- scientifically selecting & training employees
Management responsibility for training
learn from management experts who are throughly familiar with job & "one best way"
-contemporary managers fully accept notion that training new employees is their responsibility
Scientific selection
- personnel selec
Legacy of Taylorism- Managers & workers must specialise
Specialisation of labour
Fewer & fewer jobs in existence today that stay unchanged for long periods of time
- if such jobs exist they are eventually automated
In times of rapid tech change spending months training a worker for one narrow speciality wouldn
Legacy of Taylorism- money as motivator
Workers motivated only by wages
- attacked by social scientists from time of Hawthorne experiments to present
- oversimplified view of human motivation
- job enrichment & participation
- still relevant
Advantages of scientific management
Each worker has high degree of specialisation
Can standardise- e.g. all branches of shop around world produce exactly same product
Scientific management-criticisms
Extreme specialisation leads to boredom & low morale
- lack of work motivation due to under-utilised mental capacity
Ignored the psychological needs of workers
Example of scientific management
Amazon
Royal Mail
McDonalds
Jim Beam
Amazon- scientific management
data-driven management"
- scientific design of every aspect of every task
"one best way"
- guided by principles inscribed on laminated cards
Taylorized jobs:
"Shelfers"- tagged with personal sat-nav, maps out route to shelves, sets target times, measures
Royal Mail
Pegasus computer system
- Calculates optimum post load that can be delivered by staff
McDonalds
one best way"
Strict, detailed working standards for each worker to perform their individual job
Manuals and operative check lists for the working methods determined by management
Layout of equipment & machineries measured & calculated to best maximize e
Jim Beam
Limited to 4 bathroom breaks
- only one unscheduled
Reprimands issued for failure to meet this limits