Taylor’s Scientific Management
Taylor’s theory of scientific management aimed at improving economic efficiency and labor productivity. Taylor had a simple view that money motivated people at work. He felt that workers should get a fair day's pay for a fair day's work, and that pay should be linked to the amount produced. He introduced the differential piece rate system, of paying wages to the workers.
The industrial revolution provided the impetus for developing various new approaches to increase the productivity and efficiency of the workers. Taylor during 1856 and 1915 propounded that there is a need for developing a scientific way of performing each job and workers should be trained to perform that particular job in a scientific way. Harmonious relations should be developed between management and workers to ensure that the job is performed in the desired way. This led to the management theory known as principles of scientific management.
This theory is a Classical management theory that is based on the belief that workers only have physical and economic needs and prescribes specialization of labor. Classical theories recommend centralized leadership and decision-making and focus on profit maximization. Three streams of classical management theory are - Bureaucracy (Weber), Administrative Theory (Fayol), and Scientific Management (Taylor).
Principles of Scientific Management
Four Principles of Scientific Management are:
- Time and motion study: Develop a science for each element of the job to replace the old rule of the methods. Study the way jobs are performed and find new ways to do them.
- Training: Scientifically select employees and then train them to do the job as described in step-1. Teach, train, and develop the workman with improved methods of doing work. Codify the new methods into rules.
- Supervision: Interest of employer & employees should be fully harmonized so as to secure mutually understanding relations between them. Supervise employees to make sure they follow the prescribed methods for performing their jobs. Continue to plan the work but use workers to actually get the work done.
- Differential Rewards: Establish fair levels of performance and pay a premium for higher performance.
Taylor's scientific approach resulted in a piece-rate incentive system, and the time-and-motion study.
Taylor's Differential Piece Rate Plan:
Taylor felt that the wage system was one of the major reasons for soldiering. To resolve this problem, he advocated the use of a piece-rate incentive system. The aim of this system was to reward the workers who produced the maximum out-put. The system proposed:
- If Efficiency is greater than the defined Standard then workers should be paid 120 % of the Normal Piece Rate.
- If Efficiency is less than standard then workers should be paid 80% of the Normal Piece Rate.
Time and Motion Study:
Taylor also tried to determine the best way to perform each and every job. To achieve this objective, he introduced a method called time-and-Motion study. In this method, a large production job was broken down into various small tasks or motions and unnecessary motions were removed to find out the best way of doing a job. A motion study involves finding out the best sequence and the minimum number of motions needed to complete a task.
After Taylor, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth made numerous contributions to the concepts of scientific management. Frank and Lillian were mainly involved in exploring new ways of eliminating unnecessary motions and reducing worker fatigue.
- Frank Gilbreth (1868-1924) is considered the "father of motion study"
- Lillian Gilbreth (1878-1972) contributed to studies pertaining to motion.
Limitations of Scientific Management:
Although Scientific Management Theory has been instrumental in providing various valuable insights into the development of management thought. In spite of the numerous contributions made by scientific theory, given below are the few limitations:
- The principles of scientific management focus on solutions from an engineering point of view rather than a managerial point of view
- The entire theory is based on the assumption that humans are rational and motivated primarily by the desire for material gain. It overlooks the social and emotional needs of workers and overstressed their economic and physical needs
- The human desire for self-actualization and job-satisfaction (working conditions, job content, etc.) is ignored by the theory
Suggested Reading and Resources
Related Links
You May Also Like
-
Management theories are the recommended management strategies that enable us to better understand and approach management. Many management frameworks and guidelines were developed during the last four decades.
-
Team Foundation in Forming Stage
This is the first stage of team development. This is the stage when the foundation of the team is laid. During the Forming stage, team members have a high dependence on their leader for guidance. Learn the practical strategies you can use during this stage to help your team develop into a highly effective performing team.
-
Have you ever resonated that there seem to be as many different ways to lead people as there have been great leaders? When we recall the success of Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln, Napoleon Bonaparte to Steve Jobs and Jack Welch, we also notice that they all used different approaches that were suitable to their specific situations and circumstances. Over the last century, researchers and psychologists have developed simple ways to describe the “Styles of leadership” and in this section, we will explore these commonly known leadership styles.
-
Hawthorne Studies - Leadership
The Hawthorne studies were conducted on workers at the Hawthorne plant of the Western Electric Company by Elton Mayo and Fritz Roethlisberger in the 1920s. This study established the behavioral change that happened due to an awareness of being observed, resulting in active compliance with the supposed wishes of researchers, because of special attention received, or positive response to the stimulus being introduced.
-
Team leadership theory is a recent leadership theory that does not discriminate between the leader and the other team members. The approach considers contributions from each team member to be critical for organizational success. This approach focused on the overall team effectiveness and team problems are diagnosed and action is taken to remediate weakness. This approach provides for taking corrective action when the leader deems necessary.
-
Max Weber gave the theory of Bureaucratic Management in 1915. Bureaucracy is a specific form of organization defined by complexity, division of labor, professional management, and hierarchical management control. Weber's theory has two essential elements - organizational hierarchy and rules-based management. Weber made a distinction between authority and power and advocated that authority must be given to the most competent and qualified people.
-
At different points in your professional career, it is helpful to identify your core values. Values are the qualities considered to be the most important guiding principles that determine the priorities in your life and greatly influence your career choices. Your career brings happiness when it is in agreement with the beliefs you have about what is important and meaningful to you. Awareness of your values will help you develop a clearer sense of what's most important to you in life.
-
Leadership has been defined in different ways by different sets of scholars. In very simple terms leadership can be defined as the skill of a person to influence an individual or a group for achievement of a goal in a given situation. One can use different dimensions and perspectives to define leadership. Through the evolution of leadership thought, leadership has been defined in various ways discussed here.
-
Frederick Winslow Taylor started the “Scientific Management Movement”, and attempted to study the work process scientifically. Scientific management, also called Taylorism, was a theory of management that analyzed and synthesized workflows. It is a system for increasing the efficiency of manpower to its maximum potential and streamlining production to improve efficiency. This article explores this theory in more detail.
-
Tools for Developing Your Team
If a manager has too many weak spots in the talent of the team, the ability to empower the team members to independently execute the project is impaired. Assignments fall behind schedule or stretch out because the needed skills or knowledge are not in place when needed. To successfully execute important projects, hiring talented people, and increasing the talents of existing staff are most important.
