Frederick Wilson Taylor’s Scientific Management Theory

Scientific management, often known as Taylorism, is a management philosophy that examines and
synthesises processes in order to increase labour productivity. F W Taylor created the theory's main
principles in the 1880s and 1890s, and they were originally published in his monographs, “Shop
Management “(1905) and “The Principles of Scientific Management” (1911). This work, as well as
his investigations on the processing of pig iron, considerably aided the analysis of task design and
sparked method research.

Frederick Wilson Taylor is among the founders of scientific management. He claimed management is
a science and wrote his book on principles for management, explaining how to manage a company or
workers or else. He suggested to use scientific management approach by managers and develop
precise, standard process for doing each job, select worker with appropriate abilities, train worker in
the standard procedure, carefully plan work, and provide wages incentive to increase output.

Primarily, by experimenting with different designs of shovel for use with different material, (from
'rice' coal to ore,) he was able to design shovels that would permit the worker to shovel for the whole
day. In so doing, he reduced the number of people shovelling at the Bethlehem Steel Works from 500
to 140. This work, and his studies on the handling of pig iron, greatly contributed to the analysis of
work design and gave rise to method study.

Scientific Management focuses on organisational efficiency which is the primary aim of any business,
that is the reason management theorists have devoted a great deal of time and effort to achieving this
goal. In other words, Scientific management is a management paradigm that aims to improve
efficiency and productivity by rationalising and standardising industrial processes (Sheldrake 1996).
Frederick Winslow Taylor created this idea, which was presented in The Principles of Scientific
Management. He restructured the work process and codified the ties between people and their tasks.
This concept has gained widespread acceptance, and it is now stated that “Scientific Management is
alive, well, and prepared for the next century” at the age of 100. (Greco, pages. 28 in Greco, 1999) To
put it another way, Taylorism is the foundation of organisations. During his observations of factory
processes, Taylor discovered major problems. Some of them included:

i. Management lacked clear understanding of worker-management responsibilities;

ii. Lack of effective standards of work;
iii. Restricted output and failure to design jobs properly;
iv. Unscientific decisions by management;
v. Lack of proper studies about division of work among departments

Taylor proposed a piece rate method for production management in shop management. Later, in 1909,
he wrote the book for which he is best known, ‘Principles of Political Economy.' ‘Scientific
Management' is a term used to describe Taylor's work was based on stop-watch time in this book a set
of observations. He began to dissect the times into their constituent parts, and it was he who created
the phrase "time study." Taylor received a lot of flak for his obstinacy in formulating and
implementing his ideas. He argued that the scientific approach could be applied to any situation and
that managers and employees could both benefit from it.

He stated in his own words: "Under Scientific Management, the old-fashioned dictator does not exist.
Under Scientific Management, the individual in charge of the firm is regulated by the same rules and
laws as the worker, and the standards set are equitable."

Taylor, a mechanical engineer by training, aspires to bring a positivistic, logical perspective to the
wasteful workplace. Another "industrial tragedy" that obstructs the advancement of better work is
what Taylor refers to as "soldiering" of the worker, which simply means putting on a show of work
rather than doing one's best. The worker tries to reconcile the inner conflict he's experiencing as a
result of job security concerns with productivity demands. According to Taylor, the worker is not to
fault for soldiering since, even if given the chance to work more and produce more, the effect on the
labour market is such that compensation is reduced. What motivation does management have to offer
a guy a higher wage, even if he produces more, while another man will accept a lower payment for a
lower output? Taylor argues that scientific job management will solve inefficiency, sluggish work
rates, and lower productivity, which are all frequent workplace issues. Soldiering would logically
diminish as worker productivity and security increased, according to Taylor. Taylor presents four
scientific work management concepts. He claims that even if despite the fact that the ordinary
businessman believes that if workers went faster, productivity would increase, the converse would be
true if efficiency resulted in a cost-cutting reduction in staff. Taylor argues that raising worker
efficiency scientifically would enhance not just the possibility for additional labour, but also the
world's actual wealth, happiness, and a variety of other beneficial changes in the working person's life.
Taylor's situation has gotten worse. The output of workers will increase people's quality of life.

Motivation theory
Taylor's idea was the first of several business theories on motivation. Taylor's thesis, also known as
Scientific Management, can be referred to as "money as a motivator" idea. According to Management,
it was one of the first ideas of motivation in the workplace. Workers were treated as though they were
cogs in the massive industrial machine, to be exploited as needed to boost efficiency, productivity,
and profits. Taylor emphasised the importance of money as a source of incentive in the job.
According to Taylor, workers were solely driven by money. As a result, his thesis is known as the
"money as a motivator theory, Locke, E. A. (1982)." Taylor has been hailed as the first real, and
probably most important, management consultant to this day by management professionals. Workers
would need to be driven to execute their jobs exactly as management described them, either through
coercion (such as the fear of being fired) or through monetary incentives. Taylor's idea of scientific
management was further characterised by EPM as follows: Work is rarely enjoyable for employees.
As a result, they must be closely monitored and managed. In essence, Taylor thought that employees
had a natural propensity to relax and slack off anytime they got the opportunity. This was dubbed
"natural soldiering" by him.

 Managers can aid by breaking down each employee's job into smaller, more doable tasks.
 All staff should get training so that they can do these responsibilities in a consistent manner.
 Workers should be paid on a piece rate basis, which is dependent on how much they create.
 This will result in a win-win scenario. Workers are motivated to work hard in order to earn
more money, firms are run efficiently, and profits are maximised.

Taylor maintained that the two conflicting forces of greater salaries and reduced labour costs are not
mutually exclusive. The objective is to get employees to perform more efficiently, which means doing
their given duties accurately, consistently (every time), and in the shortest period of time possible.
Taylor's thesis never articulated why he believed money motivates workers. Other experts, on the
other hand, have chimed in on the subject.

For example: Some workers are motivated by money, while others are motivated by other things,
according to. "The outcomes of research investigations might occasionally be contradictory. The
reason for this is due to the complication of human behaviour "According to the institute. This makes
sense: You can't paint all humans - and, by extension, all workers – with the same brush. Different
things motivate different workers; some are motivated by money, while others are motivated by praise
and meaningful work. So, according to the NBRI, you can't just declare that all employees are driven
only by money (Herzberg & Taylor’s Theories of Motivation, n.d.).

References
Herzberg & Taylor’s Theories of Motivation. (n.d.). Retrieved July 18, 2021, from https://small
business.chron.com/herzberg-taylors-theories-motivation-704.html
Locke, E. A. (1982). The ideas of Frederick W. Taylor: an evaluation. Academy of management
review, 7(1), 14-24.
Sheldrake. J (1996) Management Theory: from Taylorism to Japanization. London, Thomson
Business Press.
Taylor F.W (1911) The Principles of Scientific Management, Harper and Brothers and Frank G
Gilbreth, Primer of Scientific Management New York, Van Nostrand