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The Birth of Scientific Management: How Taylor Changed the Future of Factory Operations
In the late 19th century in the United States, the Industrial Revolution was causing a rapid increase in productivity, and the beginning of all this was the scientific management theory founded by Frederick Winslow Taylor. . Taylor developed his ideas about management in the steel industry beginning in the 1880s, and his ideas finally gained national attention in 1910 when lawyer Louis Brandeis introduced them to the so-called " Scientific management". This theory not only improves economic efficiency, but also is an innovative method for scientifically analyzing and integrating work processes. In this way, scientific management entered every corner of the factory and reshaped the way of working.
The goal of scientific management is to promote labor productivity by eliminating waste, which is essential to improving overall economic efficiency.
Taylor's theories focused on improving labor efficiency and standardizing best practices to ensure that every employee could work under optimal conditions. His philosophy includes job analysis, reasonable scheduling, and scientific selection and training of each employee. These principles not only changed the way the factory operated, but also developed a structured management model.
The art of management, Taylor believed, was "knowing exactly what you want your employees to do, and seeing that they do it in the best and cheapest way possible."
When Taylor began pushing for this change, the steel industry was already a pillar of the American economy. Starting out as a clerk at the Midvale Steel Company in 1877, Taylor observed that the output of many workers in this industrial-based environment was far below the expected standards. This prompted him to start looking for scientific methods to improve employee efficiency. He proposed that workers need clear work goals and a suitable working environment in order to complete tasks effectively, which is a completely new perspective for labor management.
Taylor's ideas evolved over time. The concept of "scientific management" he proposed includes four basic principles: first, scientific analysis of all work; second, selection of the most suitable workers; then provision of scientific education and training; and finally, good relations between managers and workers. Partnership. The promotion of these theories greatly improved factory productivity, but it also triggered protests from some societies and workers.
Taylor emphasized that proper management enables both managers and workers to obtain due satisfaction in the long run.
However, many workers were uneasy about Taylor's management style. What Taylor called the "soldiering phenomenon" described a widespread situation in which workers would work at a slower pace in order to keep their jobs. One of his comments suggested that this situation reflected an internal resistance that made many workers fearful of the pursuit of efficiency. Union leaders such as Samuel Gompers began to express opposition to scientific management, predicting that such management would threaten workers' interests.
Going further, Taylor's scientific management is not only to improve production efficiency, but also to form a sustainable factory operation model. Over time, this model has evolved into a variety of practices: from Fordism to lean manufacturing, each of which is committed to the constant pursuit of efficiency and the optimal use of resources.
The influence of scientific management is not limited to the current economic structure. It promotes changes in labor concepts and breakthroughs in production methods.
Finally, although scientific management has established work standards and improved labor efficiency in some aspects, it has also raised concerns about technological unemployment. In the short term, according to Taylor's theory, companies can reduce the labor required by improving production efficiency, which will cause many workers to lose their jobs. However, in the long run, such progress helps the overall economy and may ultimately create more jobs. Can Taylor's scientific management really become the core element of our management philosophy today, or has it reached the time to re-examine it?
