Frederick Taylor's Scientific Management Movement

Paper Summary:

Many theories and methods have been devised to help managers organize their work areas, processes and workers toward the greatest possible good since the emergence of the factory in the 1800s. This paper examines how one such idea is Frederick Taylor's (1856-1915) scientific management method. It looks at how the founding idea behind the theory is the concept that the principal object of management should be to secure the maximum prosperity for the employer, coupled with the maximum prosperity for each employee. The paper also examines how Taylor's theories can be seen in many organizations that exist today and in particular looks at how they are used in the processes that characterize the popular fast food chain MacDonalds.

From the Paper:

"Taylor's theory centered around the concept that management and the workforce should work in tandem for a mutual benefit, but that it was essential for management to make benefits directly applicable to the employee who worked hard. He noted that "there is no question that, throughout the industrialized world, a large part of the organization of employers, as well as employees, is for war rather than peace" (Taylor, 1911: 67). In order for an organization to prosper, Taylor argued, it was necessary for the organization to enable and encourage the employee on an individual basis to reach their full efficiency. "In a word, that maximum prosperity can exist only as the result of maximum productivity" (Taylor, 1911: 68). The only way to encourage the individual to strive to their full efficiency, though, was to enable them to receive some kind of direct benefit, such as a higher wage for a higher productivity. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Heizer, Jay & Render, Barry. (2006). Operations Management. (8th Ed.). New York: Prentice Hall.
• "McDonalds Our Lounge." (2007). Case Studies. Business in the Community. Available February 14, 2007 from <http://www.bitc.org.uk/resources/case_studies/mcdonalds_ol.html>
• Taylor, Frederick Winslow. (1911). The Principles of Scientific Management. New York: Harper and Brothers.
• "Training and Progression." (2007). McDonalds Management. McDonalds.com. Available February 14, 2007 from <http://www.mcdonalds.com.au/careers/management/training_and_progression.asp>

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