Scientific Management provided by Frederick Taylor overturned the model of the organization of enterprises during the industrial revolution and still has a great influence on today’s business management. This essay is devoted to the notion of scientific management and its application from the industrial revolution till our time. The paper will provide different definitions of the notion of scientific management. Further, it will discuss the use of scientific management in the modern economy by the example of modern corporations.
Generally speaking, the notion of scientific management denotes the use of scientific methods in the field of management. According to Fredrick Winslow Taylor, “Scientific management means knowing exactly what you want men to do and seeing that they do it in the best and the cheapest way”(Gupta, 2008). Peter F. Drucker provides the following definition “Scientific management is the organized study of work, the analysis of work into its simplest element and the systematic improvement of the workers” (Gupta, 2008).
This new approach of management was provided by Frederick Winslow Taylor during the period of huge change namely the industrial revolution. He provided new methods of planning, control and efficient production (Hackett, 1992). Taylor’s methods were applied in manufacturing engineering, business management and industrial engineering. This new approach completely reorganized the structure of many enterprises, factories and firms using scientific analysis in planning and control (Hackett, 1992).
Scientific management is still successfully used in different organizations. We may observe the use of scientific management everywhere from the stores where we buy different technology to the restaurants where we eat. McDonald’s is one of the most typical examples of using scientific management in its organization and production. There are certain standards and rules which are followed in every country. Every branch of McDonald’s in different countries is the same with the same methods of preparing food, promoting stuff and even the same method of cleaning the floor. The taste of Big Mac does not change in all countries. Such unification which is the basic core of scientific management makes McDonald’s the biggest restaurant chain all over the world. A well-organized division of labour force and strict distribution of responsibilities helps to control mass production and as the result, it reduces workplace democracy (Kisanga, 2011). The basic advantage of the use of scientific management nowadays is the strict coordination between employers and workers. More than that, companies that used Taylor’s principles of scientific management are the most well-organized and successful corporations in the world. A human force is considered to be like a machine making the definite function in the whole production. Every employee has a definite task and he/she follows it without any changes. Such an approach is considered to be a “deskilling” of labour nowadays. In current organizations, the individual approach to every employee and the development of her/his skills are very important which is opposed to the principles of scientific management (Gronroos, 1994).
Many great corporations and companies resort to the use of Taylor’s methods of the well-organized distribution of labour force where everyone has the definite task, the strict planning and reduction of spending (Taylor, 1917, p.122). The use of such methods provides the success of many corporations all over the world. A strict distribution of labour force and responsibilities, strict planning and unification will be always popular in great corporations.
References List
- Daniel, M 1995, ‘From Mechanical Engineering to Re-engineering: Would Taylor be pleased with modern management, Journal of Management History, vol.1no.2, pp. 38-51.
- Gronroos, Ch 1994, From Scientific Management to Service Management. A Management Perspective for the Age of Service Competition. Swedish School of Economics, Finland.
- Gupta, S 2008, Meaning, Definition Characteristics and Features Scientific Management.
- Hackett, L 1992, Industrial Revolution.
- Kisanga, O 2011, Taylor’s Scientific Management and Its Influence on Modern Day Practices.
- Taylor, F 1917, The Principles of Scientific Management. Harper & Brothers Publishers, New York.