Classical Era Reflection - Research Paper Example

The major theorists of scientific (management) perspective believed there is one best way to do everything – and that is the most efficient way Those theorists believed they could determine that method via whatever means they were using or purported was the best method to study the task. Those theorists of the scientific perspective discussed first are F. W. Taylor, H. L. Gantt, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, and Hugo Munsterberg. Frederick W. Taylor’s philosophy led the way for many others in using scientific and mathematical methods applied to workers, attempting to match a person’s abilities to a job in the best way possible, instituting a mutual self-interest mind-set that had never existed and improving employee productivity through incentives (Locke, 1982; Wren & Bedeian, 2009).

Crain (2003) says that Taylor was noted for his scientific approach, his ability to solve problems, and his ability to invent things. His thought was that “measurement increased productivity” (p. 45). In one example, the test subject “increased production by 400 per cent while receiving 60 percent more in pay”. Taylor was best known for his stopwatch, but he believed that money is what the workers craved and they were determined to get it. Companies at that time glossed over the downside of Taylor’s efficiency gains and put increased productivity over ethics.

Philosophical discussions took place and he wrote about it in The Principles of Scientific Management. He believed that ultimately improving efficiency improved society. Hodgetts (1995) analyzed ten U.S. organizations against Taylor’s principles and found that “each in its own way used Taylor’s four principles to help focus their total quality management strategy” (p. 218). The four principles are summarized as follows: 1. Develop a science for each part of a person’s work, replacing “a rule of thumb method” (p. 218). 2.

Scientifically pick and train employees rather than allow employees to arrive and work as they wish. 3. Cooperate with employees to ensure work is done according to scientific guidelines. 4. Divide work as equally as possible. Allow management time to oversee the work of the employees and shoulder the responsibility of holding others accountable. Henry Laurence Gantt worked closely with F. W. Taylor. Gantt brought a human quality into the scientific side of Taylor’s work. Gantt developed a bonus pay structure for the employee who completed their piece rate work for the day and was able to complete more than the assigned tasks.

With Gantt’s methods of the use of incentives for employees “production was often doubled” (Wren & Bedeian, 2009, p. Fax 2). Frank Gilbreth differed from Taylor in that Gilbreth used time motion studies where Taylor used a stop watch and was using only time rather than time motion. Gilbreth was best known for establishing the hope of finding the one best (most efficient) way to do any and every task (Wren & Bedeian, 2009). Lillian Gilbreth, PhD, continued the work the two of them conducted even after Frank’s death and she later became published.

Hugo Munsterberg was the father of industrial psychology as we know it today. He believed psychological themes could be applied in the workplace. In 2009, The New Yorker published an article describing in detail the events of Classical