Scientific Management - Essay Example

Scientific Management Was The Product Of The 19th Century Industrial Practices And Has No Relevance To The Present Day. Discuss. no: Course: Tutor: Date: Scientific management was the product of the 19th century industrial practices and has no relevance to the present day. Discuss. The term scientific management originates from a combination of two words, “scientific” and “management”. Whereas scientific refers to any objective, systematic analysis, management is the act of supervising people as they get things done. Scientific management can, therefore, be understood to be the application of systematic analysis and objective approaches in management. Gupta states that Fredrick Winslow Taylor, the originator of the concept defined it as the manager knowing what he wants people to do and ensuring that they do it in the best and cheapest way available. Several scholars have improved Taylor’s original definition to include new developments in management. For instance, Harlow Person states that it characterizes organization and procedures that utilize laws or principles arrived at through scientific analyses and investigations, rather than casually and empirically determined policies and traditions. Scientific management, also named Taylorism after Fredrick Winslow Taylor, is a management theory that was used to study and synthesize workflows in manufacturing industries late in the 19th Century. The concept was the most dependable until around the 1920s, when its influence started to wither, due to the development of new theories that proved to be more efficient than it. Some of these techniques that took over from scientific management include quality assurance and quality control between the 1920s and 1930s, operations management, operations research, and management cybernetics in the 1940s and 1950s, total quality management in the 1980s, re-engineering in the 90s, and six sigma and lean manufacturing used in modern times (Penguin Group (UK), 2007). However, Scientific Management has not been abandoned entirely. In fact, it is not only used in manufacturing industries where it was coined, but also in other business fields such as processing, human resource, and information system management. There have been arguments that the theory should be disbanded because it is perceived to be outdated; however, its proponents argue that the fact that the theory has stood the test of time means that it is still relevant to the modern times (Drummond, 2000). This article presents an analysis of the reasons given fronted by both proponents and opponents of Scientific Management. The analysis will be based on the principles, characteristics, and features that define scientific management; including their relevance in the 19th Century and their relevance today, the 21st Century. Characteristics of Scientific Management a) Approach The definition of the theory gives it a systematic and objective approach that was meant to solve problems that industries face. This approach is still relevant in modern day industries; both manufacturing and processing industries employ procedures in their activities, and have objectives such as delivery of quality products to their customers. On the other hand, it is crucial to note that scientific management was centered on the procedure rather than the quality of the product. Modern theories are more concerned with the final product; does it meet the requirements of the customer? If so, are the costs incurred justifiable? It is this differences that make some pundits rule out the relevance of scientific management in the 21st century. It is, however, worth noting that systematic procedures and objectives have to be defined and adhered to strictly in order to produce quality products. This is proof that scientific management is still relevant in modern industries and businesses. b) Definite Plan The theory, scientific management requires that the parties involved come up with well structured plans before commencing any activity. This is crucial as it ensures that the right procedures are used in the execution of the processes. It makes the manager’s work easier as the staff already have an idea of what they are expected to do. Planning is an essential component of modern project management system. It has been established that most projects that fail do so as a result of poor planning in the initial stages of the projects. This is mostly evident in pioneer projects where the people involved have no prior experience, or data to guide them on how to undertake their projects. Planning is a common factor between scientific management and modern theories such as total quality management and reverse engineering; hence, proving that scientific management remains a viable tool to use in the present. c) Economy The viability of any business is based on its ability to produce goods, or deliver services while remaining profitable. One of the goals of scientific management is to improve efficiency by eliminating unnecessary processes and polishing existing ones. The result is that the company realizes optimum production while keeping costs low. This makes the theory practical since the goals of businesses remain the same; maximizing profits by minimizing operation costs. d) Emphasis Scientific management takes into account all stakeholders, factors of production, technology and resources. This ensures that the resultant procedure is all-inclusive; hence, reducing the chances of failure. This is similar to the development of information systems in organizations, businesses, and companies. All stakeholders have to be taken on board if such projects are to succeed. Failure to include every person affected by information system projects results in project failure, or rejection by would be users. This implies that elements of scientific management are still being used in the realization on business goals in the modern world. e) Techniques The concept of scientific management involves the employment of scientific techniques in defining processes, how the processes are to be executed, and selection, recruitment and training of employees. These scientific techniques ensure that the best processes, procedures, and employees are enlisted to achieve the goals of the company. Companies and organizations still work hard to ensure that they hire the best professionals, and obtain the most cost effective resources, processes, and methods that will maximize their output. Principals of Scientific Management While coming up with the concept of Scientific Management, Taylor based his arguments on five key principals. This section of the article analyzes these principals and attempts to establish whether they are relevant to situations encountered in modern society. a. Science, not Rule of Thumb Rule of thumb was a technique used before Taylor came up with the theory of Scientific Management. It was based on mere estimation, meaning that aspects of work could not be determined to precision. Taylor, in his arguments, stated that science should be integrated into management because of its accurate nature. Modern management techniques continue to explore this path, making it more efficient than Taylor thought it could be. This has been made possible through technological advancements made since the 19th century. Most companies and organizations have automated their systems through the use of science and technology. This has made management an easier job for managers to do than it was when F. W. Taylor came up with the idea of Scientific Management. The result has been improved efficiency in delivery of goods and services, one of the key pillars of Scientific Management. b. Cooperation, not individualism According to Taylor, scientific management was supposed to bring unity in the workplace; different components of the company are supposed to work together to achieve the company’s overall goals. This would require active involvement and goodwill among all parties involved, including the management and staff. He suggested the replacement of war with peace, brotherly and hearty cooperation between stakeholders, substitution of suspicious monitoring with mutual confidence, and friendship instead of animosity. Going by modern trends in workplaces, these suggestions are still in practice. Employers are putting a lot of effort to ensure that there is an excellent working atmosphere for all their staff. To achieve this, companies and organizations arrange for bonding sessions among staff members; some even include families and bonding professionals in their sessions. They do so by organizing staff parties and retreats in which staff members go camping or sailing. These off-the-office interactions boost the relationships between employees; hence make it easy for them to work together (Fincham and Rhodes, 2005). A good case of a company that has embraced this is Google; most of the firm’s offices worldwide are fitted with equipment and resources that allow its staff from different regions to work together. In addition, the company provides a free environment that enables its employees to work with comfort. c. Development of staff to their greatest prosperity and efficiency Scientific Management requires that companies make maximum effort to ensure that they increase the efficiency of their employees. This should be done by using scientific methodologies in the recruitment, training, allocation of tasks, and determination of wages for employees. This ensures that the employees become competent; hence not only not only benefiting them, but also their employers. Presently, companies channel a lot of their resources in ensuring that they obtain the best service out of their employees. Right from their recruitment, most companies train their new employees so that they acquire or enhance their practical skills. Some of these trainings are held in-house while others are done externally. Some companies also sponsor their employees to pursue further studies to enhance their skills. In addition, many companies have human resource departments whose sole purpose is to ensure that all employees get a comfortable working environment and deliver according to the companies’ expectations (Buchanan and Huczynski, 2010). d. Standardization of Tools and Equipment The theory requires manufacturers to standardize their tools, materials, working conditions, production costs and equipment so as to improve quality as well as bring uniformity in the manufacture of standard commodities. This is very evident in modern manufacturing of electronic equipment. Commodities are categorized according to the standards used in their development. Products such as television sets and computers have compatible ports that make them inter-operable; the devices have standardized interfaces that enable them to communicate even if they were manufactured by different companies. The standardization of the products also makes it easy for them to be compared based on similar benchmarks. This makes it easy to rate them in terms of quality and efficiency. e. Experimentation and Scientific Investigation Scientific Management requires a lot of experimentation and investigation for it to succeed. This involves carrying out frequent researches on new areas and methodology that the company is seeking to use. The result is that the company identifies the most efficient and dependable methods and procedures for achieving its goals. Companies and organizations invest a lot of money in researches up to date. Most companies channel their funds to researches that ensure they are ahead of their competitors in terms of efficient production, marketing, and sale of goods and services. Apple’s investments in research and development, which amounted to $3.38 billion in the financial year ending September 2012, have resulted in innovations that make it the most successful company in the smart-phone business worldwide. This is a practical indication of the importance of scientific investigation and experimentation. The analysis of Scientific Management indicates that whereas it is an old theory, it still has some relevance to the modern world. This is because its concepts form the backbone of many modern forms of management. Total quality management, lean manufacturing, and sigma manufacturing which are widely used in companies today, use concepts that were first used in Scientific Management like planning, economic consideration, and methodologies. In addition to these characteristics, they also share principals such as experimentation, standardization of tools and equipment, and development of staff. This is a clear indication that Scientific Management has relevance to the present day. List of References Buchanan, D. and Huczynski, A., 2010. Organizational behaviour: An introductory text. 7th ed. Harlow: Pearson Education. Drummond, H., 2000. Introduction to organisational behaviour. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Fincham, R. and Rhodes, P., 2005. Principles of organizational behaviour. 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Penguin Group (UK) 2007. Organization theory: Selected classic readings. 5th ed. London: Penguin. Read More