Scientific management, or Taylorism, aims to reduce waste and increase efficiency by finding the most efficient way to perform tasks. Its principles have influenced human resource management and industrial engineering, but its standardized procedures can lead to repetitive and boring work for employees.
Scientific management, also known as Taylorism, is a management theory pioneered by Frederick W. Taylor in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Reducing waste, increasing effective production, standardizing workflows and improving economic efficiency are some of the main goals of scientific management. Employing the main precepts of management science, professionals try to find the “best way” to perform specific tasks. Although the theory, in its distinctive form, fell into disrepute between the 1920s and 1930s, most of its tenets remained important.
Adherents of scientific management theory emphasize the practice of reducing waste and reducing inefficiencies in production. Theorists and professionals in the field believe that there is absolutely one best way to accomplish a specific task, the most efficient one. In their belief, they strive until they discover this efficient way. For example, a manager can time a worker and closely assess features such as movement and body posture as the worker performs certain tasks. This process can be repeated as many times as necessary, while changing body movements and postures, until the most efficient way is reached, which becomes the standard.
Essentially, scientific management theory has several principles that seek to increase efficiency. The first principle states that managers should understand workers’ job knowledge, study how workers perform tasks, and seek to improve performance. Principle number two states that managers should write work rules and standardize work procedures into codes. The third principle says that established procedures should be the basis for hiring and training workers; in addition, hiring workers with the necessary skills and abilities should be prioritized. Finally, the fourth principle states that managers should define a minimum acceptable level for performing tasks, which should also be the basis for bonus payments.
Furthermore, Frederick W. Taylor was the leading proponent of scientific management. Other notable figures include Frank Gilbreth, Lillian Gilbreth and Henry Gantt. Since its birth, the principles established by Taylor have influenced many other areas since then. These areas include human resource management and industrial engineering. Furthermore, the principles of management science helped to pave the way for mass production, as well as other advances in technology and production.
While Taylorism has many benefits, it also has some flaws. For example, employees working in a scientifically managed environment work like cogs in a machine. That is, they have strict procedures and standardized tasks that are inherently repetitive, that remove the human element and become boring over time.
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