Taylor was
one of the first theorists to consider management and process improvement as a
scientific problem and he proposed that a business economic efficiency could be
improved by simplifying and optimizing work processes, which would increase
productivity. Taylorism, as a philosophy, was the product of a series of
experiments and observations, such as time-motion studies, designed to
determine the most effective and efficient way to complete a task. (Taylor ,1911).
Its fundamental and inter-related principles can be summarized
as follows:
- Using scientific method to challenge habitual working practices and to determine the most efficient way to perform specific work tasks;
- Matching workers' capability and motivation to the task requirements and supervising them according to the established rules and procedures;
- Establishing fair performance levels and develop a pay system that rewards, and therefore encourages, over-achievement; and
- Appropriate divisions of responsibilities to allow managers to apply scientific management principles to plan work and ensure workers are effective.
One of the
most popular criticisms leveled at Taylorism is its perceived lack of human
appreciation .(Caldari,2007). In the drive to increase physical efficiency, it
considers the worker a part of the production process on a level equal to the
tools uses and, as such, strips of all capacity to reason and act autonomously.
All thinking and planning is taken over by management, and the worker's role is
reduced to the simple repetition of standardized and simplified work flows in
accordance with productivity targets.
A further
point of controversy for Taylorism's critics is the theory that scientific
process will eventually identify the 'one best way' of carrying out a specific
process of work to maximum efficiency .(Ralston, 2014). They argue that the
implementation of 'one best way' disregards individual talents and preferred
working methods, thereby alienating workers and preventing them from developing
an appreciation of their place or function in the entire industrial process.
In the
light of the above criticisms, it is perhaps unsurprising that employees' views
of Taylorism have tended to be unfavorable. In its pursuit of efficiency and
productivity, Taylor's scientific management principles divide labor
undemocratically, in such a way as to empower managers, benefit employers and
lower workers' morale. Although Taylor advocated fair assessments of working
hours, productivity and pay, his theory obliges the worker to depend upon the
employer's conception of fairness, and gives the worker no voice in hiring and
setting the task, in negotiating the wage rate or determining the general
conditions of employment.
Conclusion
Taylorism
as the first and most influential theory that shaped a spectrum of subsequent
management practices that falls under the wider umbrella philosophy of
scientific management. As an example Microsoft shows how the principles of
scientific management inform many practices that are still in use today. As a
large, established, multinational organization, Microsoft's management
practices are, almost inevitably, complex and contradictory. Microsoft has
appropriated, adapted and implemented elements of Taylor's early scientific
management theory, such as division of labor, employee selection, training and
supervision, pay and reward, scientific evaluation, and process improvement, to
improve Microsoft's productivity, quality, and economic performance today's
fast-paced competitive environment .
References :
Caldari, K . (2007). Alfred Marshall's Criticism of
Scientific Management, European Journal of the History of Economic Thought
. pp 55-78
Ralston, S. (2014). Doing versus Thinking: John Dewey's
Forgotten Critique of Scientific Management, Southwest Philosophy Review
Taylor, F W .(1911). Principles of Scientific
Management, New York, Harper
