Assess critically the contribution that scientific management makes to the experience and management of contemporary work

Scientific management or "Taylorism" is an approach to job design, developed by Frederick Taylor (1856-1915) during the Second World War. With the industrial revolution came a fast growing pool of people, seeking jobs, that required a new approach of management. Scientific management was the first management theory, applied internationally. It believes in the rational use of resources for utmost output, hence motivating workers to earn more money. Taylor believed that the incompetence of managers was the major obstacle on the way of productivity increase of human labour. Consequently, this idea led to the need of change of management principles. On the base of research, involving analysing controlled experiments under various working

1. The hygiene factors is an aspect of Herzberg's theory that focuses on the work setting, include adequate wages, comfortable and safe working conditions, fair company policies, and job security (Ferrell, Hirt, Ferrell, 2009, p. 271).

According to the Two-Factor theory (Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory), which is closely related to the Maslow’s theory of motivation, such factors as salary or safe and pleasant working conditions (hygiene factors)

Hygiene factors which do not give positive satisfaction, although dissatisfaction results from their absence. These are extrinsic to the work itself, such as Company policy, Supervision, Relationship with boss, Work conditions, Salary, Relationship with peers, Security.

Frederick Taylor (1917) developed scientific management theory (often called "Taylorism") at the beginning of this century. His theory had four basic principles: 1) find the one "best way" to perform each task, 2) carefully match each worker to each task, 3) closely supervise workers, and use reward and punishment as motivators, and 4) the task of management is planning and control.

Herzberg, a pioneer in motivation theory, determined that there are two factors that motivate employees: high-order needs and low-order needs. Those high-order needs are met by intrinsic motivation, such as fulfilling our personal needs and growth: achievements, recognition, promotions, work itself, and responsibility. He refers to low-order needs as hygienic factors; those needs cannot motivate employees but can minimize dissatisfaction in the work-place. Hygienic factors include, pay, company guidelines, quality of supervision, working conditions, relationships with co-workers, and job security (Damij, 2015, p.2).

According to Herzberg, the factors leading to job satisfaction are distinctly different from those that lead to job-dissatisfaction. Therefore, the managers who seek to eliminate factors that create job-dissatisfaction can bring about peace at the workplace but cannot motivate the employees. These factors are termed as hygiene factors comprising administration, supervision, working conditions, salary and wages etc. While absence of hygiene factors will lead to dissatisfaction, mere presence of these factors will not satisfy (i.e. motivate) the employees. In order to motivate the employees, managers must resort to ‘motivators’ (those factors that motivate the employees towards better performance) such as recognition, challenging assignment, responsibility, opportunities for growth and self-fulfillment etc.

Taylor's own name for his approach was scientific management. This sort of task-oriented optimization of work tasks is nearly ubiquitous today in industry, and has made most industrial work menial, repetitive, tedious and depressing; this can be noted, for instance, in assembly lines and fast-food restaurants. Ford's arguments began from his observation that, in general, workers forced to perform repetitive tasks work at the slowest rate that goes unpunished. This slow rate of work (which he called "soldiering", but might nowadays be termed by those in charge as "loafing" or "malingering" or by those on the assembly line as "getting through the day"), he opined, was based on the observation that, when paid the same amount, workers will tend to do the amount of work the slowest among them does: this reflects the idea that workers have a vested interest in their own well-being, and do not benefit from working above the defined rate of work when it will not increase their compensation. He therefore proposed that the work practice that had been developed in most work environments was crafted, intentionally or unintentionally, to be very inefficient in its execution. From this he posited that there was one best method for performing a particular task, and that if it were taught to workers, their productivity would go up.

Herzberg is the person responsible for the birth of the two-dimensional paradigm of factors affecting people’s attitudes about work. This is sometimes called the two-factor theory. The factors involved are: hygiene factors and motivators. The presence of hygiene factors or dissatisfiers relate to the

Herzberg’s model (1956) is the most used in business. It splits hygiene factors from motivation factors. Hygiene factors are related to salary, working conditions, policies and administration are not managed well lead to dissatisfaction in the employees when they are not satisfied. (Saiyadain, 2009)

Herzberg’s two-factor theory Psychologist Frederick Herzberg developed a ‘two-factor’ theory for motivation based on ‘motivators’ and ‘hygience factors’. Hygience factors are basic human needs at work. It do not motivate but failure to meet them causes dissatisfaction. The hygience factors

Herzberg (two factor theory) – according to this theory, effective managers are those who try to achieve distinct outcomes to maximise job satisfaction and to minimise job dissatisfaction. In this case study, staff of flora’s fast food were not happy with the company’s new policy of staff rotation. This was the hygiene (dissatisfier) factor for staff, and which made staff to get dissatisfied with their job. There was no job satisfiers or motivator factors for employees, which would make job more interesting and motivating for the staff. So in this, company new policy was the hygiene factors which made some employees unhappy.

According to the provided YouTube video, the Hertzberg motivation theory states that people are influenced by motivators and hygiene factors. Hygiene factors refers to pay, benefits and company policy. Dissatisfaction is the result of hygiene factors, meaning that if pay, benefits and company policy are inadequate, employees will most likely be dissatisfied. Motivating factors refers to achievement, promotion, recognition, work, responsibility and growth.

With those evocative words, Frederick W. Taylor had begun his highly influential book; “The Principles of Scientific Management” indicating his view regarding management practices. As one of the most influential management theorists, Taylor is widely acclaimed as the ‘father of scientific management’. Taylor had sought “the ‘one best way’ for a job to be done” (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg & Coulter, 2003, p.39). Northcraft and Neale (1990, p.41) state that “Scientific management took its

Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory states that both hygiene factors and motivators are factors that help motivate employees to work. According to Frederick Herzberg, a behavioral scientist who proposed this two-factory theory, there are job factors that are repercussions of satisfaction while there are other job factors that prevent dissatisfaction. Hygiene factors are those, which employees need for motivation to exist at their workplace. In other words, without hygiene factors, there is no employee satisfaction. As hygiene factors are not motivators themselves, workspace, break times, and the availability of parking need to be improved to prevent a decline in overall productivity.