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The Theory Of Scientific Management Essay

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According to Miller (2010) Scientific management (Taylorism) was devised by Frederick Taylor to improve economic efficiency especially labor productivity by analyzing and establishing workflows. It was one of the earliest attempts to apply science to the engineering of processes and to management. Taylor’s scientific management was based on four principles. The first is replacing the “rule of thumb” work methods with methods based on a scientific study. The second is selecting, training and developing the most suitable person for the job. The third principle is managers should give out detailed instructions on how to do the job scientifically and supervise workers. The last principle is dividing the tasks between managers and workers. This paper will discuss if these scientific management principles are outdated in the study of organizations. I will present the principles and explain their relevance in current organizations.

The “rule of thumb” is a procedure that developed from experience and common sense. It totally ignores scientific knowledge. Taylor argued that for an organization to become more efficient managers had to develop a “science of work” that is cultivating methods based on a scientific study of those tasks. Morgan (2006) asserts that this was done to determine the most efficient way of doing work. The scientific method would therefore simplify worker’s tasks in detail and specify the amount of work needed to do the task and the necessary time to finish that

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