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SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT.
Term Paper ID:26547
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Essay Subject:
Analyzes principles, major theorists, strengths & weaknesses of this management approach & its applicability to the public sector.... More...
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11 Pages / 2475 Words
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Paper Abstract:
Analyzes principles, major theorists, strengths & weaknesses of this management approach & its applicability to the public sector.
Paper Introduction:
SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT: REVIEW & ASSESSMENT FOR APPLICABILITY TO THE PUBLIC SECTOR
Introduction
The purpose of this research is, first, to analyze and discuss scientific management, and second, to consider the applicability of scientific management to the public sector. The findings of this research are presented in the following discussions: (1) evolution of scientific management; (2) criticisms and faults of scientific management; and (3)applying scientific management in the public sector.
Scientific management was a system designed primarily for use in manufacturing management. Scientific management was intended to “increase the output of the average worker and to improve the efficiency of management” (Sisk 24). These same
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Within this conceptualized framework,Fayol identified 14 principles of management, as follows (Reshef 1-2): 1. N. Centralization, a hallmarkof Fayol's conception of management, is not compatible with the trendtoward greater empowerment in the contemporary period. To Fayol, discipline meant that no slacking andno rule bending by workers would be tolerated. Henry Metcalfe(3) published The Cost of Manufactures in 1885, in which he introduced theconcepts of direct an indirect expenses in productions. Fayol contended that the object ofwork is to produce more and better with the same effort. 5. These beneficial elements areas follows (): 1. Cincinnati: South-Western Publishing Company, 1994.Taylor, F. Thus, within this context also scientific management is notan appropriate system for application by public sector organizations. This hierarchical approach to organization is not compatiblewith the concept of team-based organizational structures being adoptedincreasingly in the contemporary period. Assure that each employee within an organization issupervised. Soon after the development of scientific management, Henry Gantt andTaylor cooperated in adapting the system for use in construction management(O'Brien 2). Fayol contended that management had a right togive orders and the power to exact obedience from workers. 2. To be effective, contemporarypublic sector organizations must empower employees. Assess organizational tasks, and redesign those tasks to fitcurrent needs. bus.ualberta.ca/orga417/Fayol.htmSisk, H. The Cost of Manufactures. The Principles of Scientific Management. J. Fayol believed that specializationencouraged continuous improvement in skills and the development ofimprovements in production methods. Even in the military, effective leadership and management hastranscended the principles of scientific management. Within the context of developing the most efficient ways of operating,scientific management is consistent with the needs of contemporary publicsector organizations. 3. The following principles ofmanagement were considered by Fayol to be of the greatest significance: (1)specialization of labor; (5) unity of direction; (9) scalar chain, and, (2)authority (Reshef 6).Principles of Frederick Taylor Taylor published The Principles of Scientific Management in 1911. 11. Evolution of Scientific Management Frederick Taylor's experiments which led to the creation of scientificmanagement began when he was employed at Midvale Steel, where he conductedexperiments in productivity management as early as 1881. Of these 14 principles of management, Fayol considered five to be ofgreater significance than the remaining nine. 6. 6. Scientific management was intended to "increasethe output of the average worker and to improve the efficiency ofmanagement" (Sisk 24). Specialization of labor. The empowerment of employees also dictates against excessive layers ofbureaucracy. Centralization. Equity. The third criticism of scientific management is that thesystem views process improvement with a view that is too narrow. He was stating, however,that an approach to management that was developed first for businessorganizations also may be used in public sector organizations when theenvironments within which public sector organizations are consistent with aparticular approach to management. "Management's New Paradigms." Forbes (5 October 1998): 1-28. In Brech, E. Fayol believed that workerdiscipline was essential to the efficient operation of an organization. Some form of participative management isadvocated for most contemporary organizations. New York: Basic Books, 1989.Drucker, P. Workers should be scientifically selected through asystematic application of criteria. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. Fayol also postulated that authority and responsibility derivesfrom and is integral to authority. 4. Theemphasis on low-level sub-optimization denies an organization toopportunity to seek total-system improvement through an holistic approachto management. London: Longman Publishers, 1995.Delavigne, K. Further, the applicabilityof scientific management to contemporary public sector organizations isassessed. Towne, thus, was the earliest engineeringeconomist. D. 3. In 19 ,Taylor introduced the principles that later were named scientificmanagement, and in that same year, Frank Gilbreth began his own motionstudies. Scientifically established work practices and scientificallyselected workers then will be meshed in a system of scientific management.This scientific approach to operation will lead to improvements inorganizational productivity. Subordination of Individual Interests. 14. The human relations approach postulatesthat treating employees less as if they are automatons will lead toimproved productivity. Fayol held that all members of an organizationshould be treated equitably. Personnel Tenure. Conclusion Most certainly, elements of the scientific management approach arebeneficial for contemporary organizations. This principle was not interpreted by Fayolto mean, however, that all members of an organization should be treatedequally. The Gantt Chart was the predecessor of the bar charts, which laterwere used extensively in project control (Cale 776). 13. For most contemporary organizations in either the private sector orthe public sector, however, the rigidity and centralization that areinherent in scientific management causes the system to be unsuitable forcurrent organizational needs. Critics contend that tightmanagement control frequently stifles innovation and creativity, therebyleading to reduced productivity. This principle called for gatheringall of this worker knowledge, assessing it, and reducing what remains tolaws and rules and formulae that will be followed by all workers. This principle held that management shoulddefine and organization's objectives and then develop a comprehensive planto attain those objectives. Thus, toward thisend, management should pursue standardization of work. http://www.global/forbesmagazine/forbeglobal/ 98/1 5/-113 52a.htmHaimann, T. This emphasis onworkers as the primary cause of substandard productivity is identified as amajor fault of scientific management because the system overlooks orminimizes the role of management, capital, and technology. "General and Industrial Management." http://courses. Criticisms and Faults of Scientific Management There have been many criticisms of scientific management and manyfaults of the approach of scientific management have been delineated.Among these criticism and faults are the following (Delavigne and Robertson43): 1. Fayolconsidered that the authority of a manager derived both from her or hisinstitutional position and her or his personal characteristics andqualities. Fayol believed thatorganizations should have a formal chain of command extending from the topdownward. This impersonal approach to human resources is identified as amajor fault of scientific management. 7. Drucker was not implying that allorganizations should be managed in the same way. T., and Robertson, J. Deming's Profound Changes: When Will the Sleeping Giant Wake Up? The seventh criticism of scientific management is thefailure of the system to recognize ways in which an organization actuallyfunctions through systems, group processes, and intraorganizationalcommunication and cooperation. This study focuses on the beginning of scientific management and theprinciples of Frederick Taylor and Henri Fayol. The first principle is to develop a science to replace therule-of-thumb knowledge of individual workers, which was not systematic andwhich varied from worker to worker. New York: Harper Bros., 1911.Towne, H. While some degree ofinformality may benefit the innovation, there is a point beyond whichbenefits are transformed into detriments (Drucker 17). The eight criticism of scientific management is theperception of workers as being interchangeable, as if they were parts of amachine. C. Management and productivity techniques. K. The first criticism of scientific management is that it ispostulated on a belief in tight management control as the essentialprecondition for increasing productivity. Identify the best operational practices and establishstandards against which to measure performance. This principle held that organizations shouldcompensate employees at a fair an equitable level for services rendered.Paying less because of conditions in the wider economy that may facilitatemanagement efforts to reduce wage levels is not consistent with thisprinciple. 2. Scientific management was a system designed primarily for use inmanufacturing management. "Gagging on Chaos." Business Horizons 37 (September-October 1994): 26-36.Cale, G. Scientific management and the human relationsapproach continue to provide the polar extremities of the managementcontinuum in the contemporary period. 9. (Ed.). Thisstructure involved the functional division of an organization's activitiesinto engineering, manufacturing, selling, finance, and personnel. This principle is fully consistent with thecontemporary concept of strategic management. Supervisory Management 6th ed. The resulting system for project management was the GanttChart. Thus, participative management, by its very nature, requires verydifferent leadership styles from those associated with the authoritarianstyle. The fourth criticism of scientific management is that thesystem emphasizes the low-level sub-optimization of resources. 3. CPM in construction management 6th ed. The issue, therefore, is whether the principles of scientificmanagement are consistent with the needs of contemporary public sectororganizations. L. This principle meant that each employeeshould have one and only one organizational superior. Fayol contended that the turnover ofpersonnel within an organization should be minimized. Lifetime employmentfor good workers should be, according to Fayol, an organizational goal.Job security for workers, thus, was equated by Fayol with the productivityof the organization. Much later, on the premise "bureaucracy is bad," many organizationsreduced formal rules, procedures, and controls (Bart 29). Critics contend that by not involving workersin the formulation and development of organizational goals, objectives, andstrategies, scientific management runs a strong risk of not developingworker support that is crucial for the attainment of organizational goalsand objectives. Discipline. The most effective managementpractices in the contemporary period tend to fall at points along thiscontinuum well away from either of the polar extremities. Construction management in planning and productivity 6th ed. F. 3. Metcalfe had developed a relatively comprehensivesystem of reporting and recording the labor time and cost of employeeactivities. The findings of this researchare presented in the following discussions: (1) evolution of scientificmanagement; (2) criticisms and faults of scientific management; and(3)applying scientific management in the public sector. This principal of management postulated by Fayolheld that a prescribed place must be defined for all employees, allequipment, and all materials in an organization, and that each of theseelements should always be in the prescribed places. Remuneration. Scalar Chain (line of authority). 2. Fayol postulated that the ultimategoals and objectives for an organization should be formulated by a singleindividual-the leader of that organization. Order. Thus, Fayol's approach tomanagement was highly centralized. Processimprovement, according to critics, tends to be unique to the task involved;thus, one size cannot fit all tasks. This principle introduces multiple layers of management withinan organization to assure constant supervision and control. Around the time that Taylor was refining his scientific managementsystem in the United States, Henri Fayol in France was developing anapproach to management in which he contended that one correctorganizational structure existed for all manufacturing enterprises. Within the context of completely separating theplanning and decision-making functions from the actual work of anorganization, however, scientific management is an inappropriate system forcontemporary public sector organizations. This principle meantthat interests of the organization superceded the interests of theindividual during work time. These charts remainedin use as project control procedures for many years as the principalcontrol techniques applied. Initiative. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1997.Reshef, Y. Brown Publishers, 1999.Metcalfe, H. The fifth criticism of scientific management is that thesystem identifies workers are the prime (and usually) the onlyorganizational source of substandard productivity. Unity of command. The following year, Henry Gantt initiated his own studies in ascientific approach to project management. The team concept oforganization, thus, is not consistent with this principle delineated byFayol. Those workers selected then should beprogressively develop to improve their skills and efficiency. One characteristic of allforms of participative management is that organizational superiors consultwith their subordinates concerning the development of performanceobjectives which are compatible with organizational goals (Haimann 3 -311). The foregoing events describe the structure of the development ofscientific management. 12. Unity of direction. Fayol postulated that management shouldcreate an organizational environment that is characterized by harmony andcohesion among organizational employees. This focus on the supremacy of the interestsof the organization is not compatible with a human relations approach tomanagement. Management & organization 6th ed. The sixth major criticism of scientific management is thatthe system demands a separation of organizational planning and fromorganizational performance. The second criticism of scientific management is that it isa system based on the assumption that one best way exists for doing allwork, organizing all groups and process, and managing all organizations.Critics content that the one best way assumption is one of the mostsignificant faults of scientific management. This principle of management delineated by Fayol isconsistent with the Japanese concept of management, but not with the re-engineering, downsizing, and race-to-the-bottom strategies increasinglyadopted by organizations in the contemporary period. Applying Scientific Management in the Public Sector Peter Drucker (3) contends that management is management, regardlessof the type of organization. Formal systemsand procedures, however, tended to remain as the principal management andcontrol mechanisms in large organizations. Works CitedBart, C. 7. This principle is consistent with the Japanese practice of management,while many organizations in developed Western economies operate in anadversarial relationship with their production employees. This inherent organization rigidity isidentified as one of the major faults of scientific management. Authority. As an overall systemof management, therefore, scientific management is inappropriate forapplication in public sector organizations in the contemporary period. Fayol believed that management functionsshould be consolidated into a few hands and that decisions within anorganization should be made from the top down. Metcalfe developedhis concepts on the basis of his experiences as a United States Armyordinance officer. 1 . L. Prior to the emergence of the participative management concept, theprinciples of scientific management developed by Frederick Taylor (55)dictated against any consultation with one's organizational subordinates.Later, in the 193 s, studies by Elton Mayo led to the discovery of what wastermed the Hawthorne Effect, which led to the development of the humanrelations approach to management. Thus, just because scientificmanagement was designed initially with manufacturing organizations in minddoes not disqualify the application of scientific management in the publicsector. Metcalfe called his system the shop order method. These same needs of manufacturing operations alsoexisted with respect to construction operations and later to other types ofprojects. Esprit de corps. Thus, the emphasis on low-level sub-optimization isidentified as a major fault of scientific management. 2. Each ofthe divisions was to be managed separately under the overall management ofan organizational chief executive (Drucker 2). The principles of two of these facets of scientificmanagement, the work of Henri Fayol and Frederick Taylor, are reviewed ingreater detail.Principles of Henri Fayol Fayol conceptualized the management function within the contexts of(1) planning, (2) organizing, (3) commanding, (4) coordinating activities,and (5) controlling performance. Scientific Management: Review & Assessment for Applicability to the Public Sector Introduction The purpose of this research is, first, to analyze and discussscientific management, and second, to consider the applicability ofscientific management to the public sector. 4. Henry Towne (3), an engineer, published The Engineer As An Economistin 1916, wherein he contended that all activities must be assessed withinthe relationship of their cost to an organization to the value of thatorganization's output. 8. Eliminate all organizational functions that do notcontribute toward the attainment of organizational goals and objectives. 8. Inthis work, Taylor (5-6) identified the major principles of scientificmanagement as the following: 1. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1885.O'Brien, J. 5. "The Engineer as an Economist." Engineering Magazine 51 (April 1916): 2-11. This principle of managementimplies that management should communicate with workers to gain theirsupport for organizational objectives and plans to attain those objectives. 4.
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