Annotated Bibliography: How the Scientific Management Theory improves on Labor Productivity in the Workplace

Abstract

This paper aims at expounding on the theory of scientific management as a tool for improving labor productivity in the workplace. It defines the theory and delves into how it came about from the angle of mathematics and engineering. The writer shall shed light on the critical principles that underlie and facilitate the use of the approach. The annotated bibliography covers a wide array of journals and scholarly articles that highlight the relationship between the use of the scientific management theory and productivity in the workplace. It looks at how the approach facilitates and motivates the employees and supervisors or managers in completing their tasks. The annotation critique shall evaluate more into the reasoning behind each article. The paper shall, therefore, present an in-depth analysis of what each article presents, including the arguments, supporting evidence, the research processes and results, and also the overall view on their outcomes. It shall conclude by bringing all the study findings together to answer the question of whether the theory is efficient in improving productivity or not.

Keywords: Scientific management theory, efficiency, productivity, workplace

Introduction

The scientific management theory is an approach to improving work flow through the use of efficient and economic means. Frederick Winslow Taylor developed the theory and it became popular in the US in the 1880s and 1890s. The approach, also known as Taylorism, believes in one right way of doing things. It proposed breaking down the components of a job into tiny parts, timing and studying each. It, therefore, requires the analysis of various options to come up with the best choice. It also developed to become a motivational theory as it focused on monetary and financial compensation as a critical incentive to inspiring employee to work. Taylor’s theory also recognized the vital role that managers play in the work processes. He highlighted their duty to coordinate, control and ensure that the employees are well-trained and understand all the specifics of the job. Taylorism, is, therefore, a crucial management approach as it puts aside social and human connections and focuses on the scientific aspects of getting the job done.

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Turan, H. (2015). Taylor’s Scientific Management Principles”: Contemporary Issues in Personnel Selection Period. Journal of economics, business and management, 3(11), 1102-1105.

Turan (2015) looks at Taylor’s management theory as a trend that has subsisted up to the modern times. The purpose of the study was to find a common ground between Taylor’s techniques and how they portray the modern management, and contributions to personnel selection in human resource management. The research findings indicated that the scientific management theory is crucial as it forms a basis for personnel selection in human resource management. The private sector is the leading implementor of Taylorism in personnel selection as it focuses on profit making thus the chosen personnel must be ideal for the business. The article emanates from an angle of increasing productivity and the quality of work in the business. It states that the quality of the work place is directly proportional to the quality of the employees. It, states that most organizations aim at ensuring maximum productivity. The staff members play a crucial role in achieving this. The article is logical and has an excellent flow. It introduces scientific management theory through an analysis of the background of Fredrick Taylor, who developed the approach. The author of the article supports the argument that the approach is essential to the choosing personnel for an organization. It analyses the experiments that Taylor carried out to support this argument. The article also uses a lot of scholarly articles to support its stance. The paper also makes use of a table to present its point about Taylor’s techniques vis-à-vis the modern state of management. This case makes the work understandable as it is well-organized and appealing to the reader. The author concludes with an evaluation that supports the use of Taylorism. It states that despite the criticisms that it received, especially from behavioral approach writers, the approach has proved significant to human resource management and will continue to stay.

Uddin, N., & Hossain, F. (2015). Evolution of Modern Management through Taylorism: An Adjustment of Scientific Management Comprising Behavioral Science. In SCSE (pp. 578-584).

Uddin & Hossain (2015) look at the developmental stages that management has undergone from traditional, scientific to the current modern approach. The work utilizes several literatures to support the significant contribution that Taylor made to management. It also sheds light on the views and analysis of several writers and practical examples of the current implementation of the modern management approach. The article is very articulate and has an excellent flow. It develops its analysis from the background of what has not worked, improvements made and the current state of affairs. According to the authors, the traditional management practices were ad hoc and efficient in small-scale productions. However, with the development of the industrial revolution the approaches proved inefficient. Taylorism aimed at converting the informal industrial methods to systemic ones. It established that each motion of work needed execution under maximum capacity of a work force that was driven by compensation and had the specific required training. This case would ensure profits for the company while also improving the relationships between the workers and managers. The authors state that despite the success of the approach, it still had some weaknesses. These include the introduction of conflicts and neglection of the workers. As a result, efforts towards improving the approach led to the development of the modern management technique. It is more efficient as it considers such aspects as job security, their wellbeing, and satisfaction. The primary ground for such a development was the Hawthorne experiments that proved the significance of incorporating such aspects as informal relations, higher employee engagements and involvement, and giving room for reflection and creativity. The article concludes by acknowledging the vital role the scientific management theory played in paving the way for the development of modern management aspects.

Ferraro, S. (2016). Frederick Taylor’s other Principles. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 7(11), 24-27.

The primary aim of the study was to look at aspects of the scientific management theory that most people ignore. The paper uses and incorporates the work of other scholars to support the central idea that Taylorism had significant effects on work more than 100 years ago but is still vital today. The author is very articulate and elaborate in expounding on each of the aspects. The article provides enough information by delving into each principle and highlighting how it plays out with a current manager. These principles include, quality, flexible hours and employee motivation. These are an addition to his more popular principles including the focus on science and not the rule of thumb, harmony and not discord, cooperation and not individualism, and maximum output as opposed to a restricted amount. The arguments for each aspect is straight-forward and convincing. The author is objective and focused on disapproving the critics of Taylorism. They state that the approach did not dehumanize workers but instead ensured improved quality and quantity of work. The author’s use many references in addition to all the publications that Taylor did to support their work. The use of examples from the current managers is significant to demonstrating how the theory has survived to date. It also incorporates the use of modern technological developments such as in the case of flexible work hours and spaces. This instance has allowed companies to hire, consult, and contract workers from all over the world who can work from the comfort of either their countries or homes. The author concludes by highlighting the significance of the theory today to motivating employees to improve productivity and increase the success rates for both the company and employees.

Ndaguba, E. A., Nzewi, O. I., Ijeoma, E. C., Sambumbu, M., & Sibanda, M. M. (2018). Using Taylorism to make work easier: A work procedure perspective. South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 21(1), 1-10.

Ndaguba et al. (2018) primarily focus on ascertaining whether the application of Taylorism improves performance in the workplace and the utilization of work procedures. The work, therefore, used a survey in a District and its five local municipalities in an area of Cape Town, South Africa known as the Transkei area. The findings revealed that Taylorism could improve work performance by enhancing relationships and preventing chaos and disagreements. The article is excellent and has a perfect flow of information. It clearly develops the research and presents the results articulately. The paper highlights the objectives of the study and the relevant research methods. It uses quantitative data collection methods. The researchers distributed a total of 1200 questionnaires to the participants. They got back a total of 754 responses of which 593 were the ones filled correctly and used in the study. The study used purposive sampling of the participants who included junior employees only. They also used a Likert scale to collect the data. The study was very well done and presents an objective analysis of work place dynamics. The findings indicated the participants belief in Taylorism and that work place procedures were crucial to achieving the expected results. The work also made recommendations for municipalities to incorporate the one best approach to work and revisit the same frequently. The authors conclude by acknowledging that Taylorism resounds best with less qualified junior workers in South Africa’s public service.

Antaya, S. (2015). At War with the Machine: Canadian Workers’ Resistance to Taylorism in the Early 20th Century. The Great Lakes Journal of Undergraduate History, 3(1), 7-19.

Antaya (2015) present a different angle to the use of Taylorism in the workplace. The paper establishes instances where the theory failed to achieve its intended purpose resulting in resistance. The case of Canada presents a look into employees refusing the tenets of the scientific management theory as it primarily aimed at making workers ‘machine-like.’ The paper starts by establishing how Canadian industries adopted Taylorism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. However, some workers had a deeply-rooted ethos of the working class and used unionism to resist Taylorism. The article delves into this occurrence using the instances of several means that workers refused to abide by the specifics of the scientific management approach. It uses other instances and examples such as the case of hospital workers at the Kingston General Hospital carrying out resistance in small ways such as breaking rules and not abiding by instructions. The article is very elaborate and tackles its points in an essay format. This angle gives it an excellent flow that enables the readers to grasp its points. The evidences of Canadian workers refusing Taylorism are enough and convincing. The authors also make use of enough material to support their work, both primary and secondary sources. These give it more credibility and enhance their points. The authors conclude by stating that although the efforts of the workers did not completely drive out Taylorism, it improved the working conditions of the employees.

Ireh, M. (2016). Scientific Management Still Endures in Education. Online Submission.

Ireh (2016) analyzes the critical position that the scientific management theory occupies in the American education system and the need to demystify its philosophical foundations. The research paper states that Taylorism is very deeply rooted in the systems that American schools use. These include aspects such as collection of data to analyze each school’s performance and make recommendations for improving their work. The essay is very spot-on and uses many instances and examples to support its arguments. It is a great contribution to understanding the effects that Taylorism had on other areas of life beyond businesses. Schools are another essential entity that uphold their work and outputs, hence an excellent implementor of the scientific management method. The article presents its points logically thus ensuring ease in understanding and grasping its concepts. The author also supports their view through sufficient scholarly and well-researched work. The work recognizes the current state of schools where there is a lot of control, segmentation and routine working. These have not done much to enhance relations between teachers and school administrators. Instead, it has enhanced bureaucratic instances within the school settings alienating the different stakeholders. The author concludes by noting that such learning institutions need to incorporate the intricacies of human interrelations. These could prove vital to students as they learn to transition from learners to productive members of society.

Kitana, A. (2016). Overview of the managerial thoughts and theories from the history: classical management theory to modern management theory. Indian Journal of Management Science, 6(1), 16.

The purpose of this article was to highlight the essential role of understanding management to ensuring efficiency and success. The work analyzes the various management theories that have developed over time that organizations need to understand and utilize. These range across times such as the classical, neoclassical and modern management theories. The focus on such a historical understanding is essential for businesses to pave the direction that they would like to take. According to the author, Taylorism falls under the classical times running between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries when manufacturing and factory systems emerged. The article is very elaborate and presents a detailed account of the theories that emerged around each era. It presents an excellent background into the development of management techniques over time. The author is also very objective and presents the points for each time succinctly. Kitana also makes use of several efficient sources to support the work. The author does not present one central argument but looks at the broad areas of all theories. They also do not seem to support or criticize any of the theories. Instead, they encourage the readership and understanding of all the theories including Taylorism. The article is essential to understanding the scientific management theory. It offers background information to how management has changed over time including from Taylorism to the modern approaches. It concludes by resounding and commending the understanding of management techniques over the years to enable the choice of the best option or a blend of several choices.

Savino, D. M. (2016). Frederick Winslow Taylor and his lasting legacy of functional leadership competence. Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, 13(1).

Similar to other works in this annotated bibliography such as Ferraro (2016), Savino (2016) supports and acknowledges the contributions that Frederick Taylor made to the management world. The paper’s primary aim was to look into the life of Frederick Taylor leading to the development of the scientific management theory and how it impacted on the company processes such as production and output. The article highlights the subsistence of Taylorism up to the twenty first century and its significant roles in manufacturing and industrial processes. The article is also very well-detailed and contains an array of information support its cental points. The author is an ardent supporter of Taylorism and commends the development of the theory. The author also uses words such as ‘the most extraordinary man’ in reference to Taylor thus showing their respect and admiration of Taylor’s work. The vocabulary and flow of the whole paper is excellent and easy to understand. The work is, therefore, a great piece for an insight into the work of Frederick Taylor. The work also supports the author’s fundamental point about Taylorism as a progressive movement by pointing out its contribution to aspects of the societal, ideological and political areas. The author also supports the assertions put forward with several literary works. The conclusion also encompasses another instance of praising Taylor’s work. The author uses the words ‘truly remarkable man’ to showcase the excellence of Taylor.

Vijai, J. P., Somayaji, G. S. R., Swamy, R. J. R., & Aital, P. (2017). Relevance of FW Taylor’s principles to modern shop-floor practices. Benchmarking: An International Journal.

Vijai et al. (2017) state that the primary goal of their research was to explore the relevance of the scientific management theory principles and how they apply to shop-floor in the manufacturing industries. The research used observations and standard time guidelines that the International Labor Organization developed. The study findings indicated that the principles that Frederick Taylor put forward are relevant and applicable to shop-floor work. The observations proved that operators relied on Taylorism to complete their work on time and also to increase the work done during a specific shift. The research proves the authors’ hypothesis as to the use and significance of Taylorism. It uses enough evidence and presents the work logically and straight-forwardly. The authors mention that the primary method that they adopted to collect data was the use of observations. This case presents a strength in the approach because it allowed the researchers to record actual human behaviors and not use the interpretations of the participants. However, the authors also point out that the use of observation was a limiting factor in the study. It was slow, time-consuming, and demanding. This case, therefore, only allowed them to carry out the process on two operations. It was also limiting because it gave room for assumptions and practical implications. The study, therefore, suggests the need for examining output at an aggregate level while implementing new methods and performance management through rewarding systems. The authors conclude by applauding Taylorism as it has continued to the twenty-first century and found application even in modern shop-floor systems.

Dalcher, D. (2017). What has Taylor ever done for us?:: Scientific and humane management reconsidered. PM World Journal, 6.

Dalcher (2017) sets out to analyze Taylorism and how its implementation has influenced the work place and efficiency in output. The article covers a wide array of Taylorism by delving into its specifics and impacts. The study shows that despite the criticisms of Taylorism for putting aside a human factor, it was an excellent method that facilitated the production processes from the nineteenth century to the present. The article provides enough information and backs its propositions with other literature. It starts by a background information on Frederick Taylor up to 1911 when he published his first book on scientific management. The author is very articulate and presents his points clearly. The use of bullet points eases and facilitates the grasping of crucial points from the analysis. It also makes the flow of the work easier to follow. The author is objective and uses captivating and short headings such as ‘the big idea.’ The work is succinctly presented and clarifies all the points articulately. The author maintains the key idea that Tyalorism has done much for businesses, especially for the manufacturing sectors. The paper uses several key points to illustrate this such as listing the impacts of the process along with the downsides that arose as a result of the same. The work also uses a lot of supporting documents such as articles by Fred Voskoboynikov and incorporates may direct quotes from other sources. The author concludes with a short paragraph that advices against focusing on efficiency while doing the wrong things.

References