communication in organisations scientific management s. grabbe, m.orthwein, r.weiser introduction:...

Communication in Organisations

Scientific ManagementS. Grabbe, M.Orthwein, R.Weiser

Introduction: Before Taylor



• How did they “manage” before Taylor? • The predecessors of scientific management.



Early examples of management guidebooks

• Ancient Egypt :Management “text scroll” by Ptah-hotep, vizier (chancellor) of king Issi, about 2700 b.C. Mainly concerned with construction activities (building of pyramids.)



• Dynastic China: a textbook with guidelines for all levels of the civil service of the Chow –dynasty empire (1122-249 b.C.), issued about 1100 b.C.

• Ancient Greece: numerous texts, for instance parts of Plato’s “Politeia” (about 400 b.C.)



• Europe, the Middle Ages: rules for organising projects, management of resources in convents and monasteries.

• Germany, 1676 „Ein Beyspiel wohlgemeinter Projekte, um Arbeiter zu Manufakturen zu bekommen und denen fleißigen Armen zu helfen“ by “Projektmacher” Kraft.



• England, 1776, “An Inquiry into the Nature and Cause of the Wealth of Nations” by Adam Smith.

• England, 1835, “The Philosophy of Manufactures” by Ure

• England, 1832, “On the Economy of Machinery and Manufactures” by Charles Babbage



• The Babbage – principle: Lower your personal costs by employing just the necessary qualification for each task (job).

• Germany after 1870: numerous textbooks with guidelines for proper use of statistical and formalisation methods (Bourcart 1874; Roesky 1878; Tolkmitt 1894; Schmidt 1901; Nyhoegen 1908 etc.)

• France, 1916: Henri Fayol “Administration Industrielle et Générale”.



Was there a “reason for the emergence of Taylorism” at the beginning of the 20th century?



• progress in mechanisation,

• division of labour,

• rising demand for goods,

• large supply of unskilled workforce (mainly from eastern Europe and rural USA),

• necessity for restructuring of the manufacturing process,

• all the “parts of the puzzle” already there,

• strong belief in limitless possibilities offered by science.



Frederick Winslow Taylor

– Father of Scientific Management –

Biography



• 1856

• born in a wealthy Quaker family

• compulsive

• always counting and analysing to act more efficiently

• dutiful



• started preparing studies for Harvard

• gave up his studies because of an eye disease

• against the will of his parents: apprenticeship as a machinist



1878 – Midvale Steel Company (1)

• developed his system of Scientific Management

• tried to fight against “soldiering” and to raise the efficiency of the company

“Let me show you how to do that.” (Copley 1993, I., p.174)



Midvale Steel Company (2)

“If he (Taylor) set up a law which must be obeyed, it was the law, not of his own will, but of the one best way. (Copley 1993, I., p.175)

“… immediately started a war … which as time went on grew more and more bitter” (Copley 1993, I.)

“If Mr. Taylor’s actions were largely uncomprehensible to those around him, it was because he always acted in accordance with the fundamental reasons of things.” Henry L. Gantt (Copley 1993, I., p.174)



Midvale Steel Company (3) “Fines were inflicted not only for not only for damage to

machines, tools, work, or other property of the company, but also for violation of the rules such as reporting late or leaving without permission.” (Copley 1993, I., p.168)

“He was one of the first men in industry to set out

systematically to combat the drink evil.” (Copley 1993, I., p.178)



1898 – Bethlehem Steel Company

• got his nickname “Speedy” Taylor

• discovered „high-speed-steel”

• became popular for his discovery at the world exhibition in Paris in 1900

• invented many tools to speed up and facilitate the working processes



1901 – Serving the public without pay (1)

“…I retired from money-making business in 1901 and have never received a cent of pay for any work that I have done in the interest of Scientific Management. On the contrary I have devoted nearly all of my time and money to furthering the cause of Scientific Management.”



Serving the public without pay (2)

This is done entirely with the idea of getting better wages for the workmen – of developing the workmen coming under our system so as to make them all higher class men – to better educate them – to help them to live better lives, and, above all, to be more happy and contented. This is a worthy object for a man to devote his live to.” (Copley, Father of Scientific Management II, p.238)



1906 – President of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers

1911 – “The Principles of Scientific Management” published



1915 – F.W. Taylor died of pneumonia

• broken and discouraged man

• in the same year his approach was rejected by the Congress



Principles of Scientific Management



Scientific:

• measure a wide range of variables

• the two stages of scientific time study

• stage 1: Analysis

• stage 2: Synthesis



Management:

• set objectives and visions

• organize

• decide

• control

• develop and support employees



Scientific Management:

• reveal the one best way of performing any task

• reduce the number of methods

• specify the skills

• develop tools



Mental Revolution:

• application of the principles of science• mutual submission to the scientific

method • transform relationship between

management and workers



Five Principles of Scientific Management

1. clear division of tasks between management and workers

2. find the one best way of doing a job

3. scientific selection of the worker

4. training and development

5. cooperation



Systematic Soldiering:

• common restriction of output

• avoidance to work at maximum speed



Can you imagine reasons for Systematic Soldiering?



Functional Foremanship:

• restrict every employee

• divide the job of the general foreman

• supervision



Why do you think functional foremanship never gained widespread popularity?



Establish Cost Accounting

• labour variance

• identify bottlenecks

• rewards and punishments



Humans:

• first class man

• modern machine theory

• units of production

• scoial aspects are irrelevant



Unions:

• no place for unions

• individual assessment



Underlying Assumptions:

• capitalism

• protestant work ethic

• increased output is desirable



Experiments in scientific management:

• Bethlehem Steel company (1898)

• show the advantages of task work



yard labourers

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

old plan new plan



tons per man per day

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

old plan new plan



earnings per man per day (average)

$0,00$0,20$0,40$0,60$0,80$1,00$1,20$1,40$1,60$1,80$2,00

old plan new plan



costs of handling a ton (average)

$0,000

$0,010

$0,020

$0,030

$0,040

$0,050

$0,060

$0,070

$0,080

old plan new plan



Simulation



Summary



After Taylor – what has become of his ideas?



In The USA:

• The attitude of the workers and their organisations

• The attitude of the management.

• “Efficiency craze” 1911



• The failed attempt to implement Taylorism at the Waterdown Arsenal and

• subsequent attitude of the American government.



• Lillian and Frank Gilbreth.

• Henry Laurence Gantt.

• Henry Ford and Fordism.

• Implications of Taylorism and Fordism.



In Germany• The attitude of the engineer elite.

• German economy during WW I and after.

• REFA.

• And what about today?



Criticism of Scientific Management (1) :• “If a man won’t do what is right,” said Taylor, “make

him.” (Copley 1993, I., p.183)

• What does this citation show about the nature of Scientific Management in practice?

• Think about critical aspects of Scientific Management



Criticism of Scientific Management (2)

• Taylor was naive

• too harsh

• contradicted himself

• called his ideas ‘principles’

• human being is viewed as an automaton



Criticism of Scientific Management (3) • worker is only motivated through money• neglected the subjective side of work• didn’t care for the reaction of workers• ignored the psychological needs and

capabilities of the workers

(Buchanan/Huczynski 1997, p.359)



Discussion • If Taylorism is as outdated and inhuman as so many people hold,

why do you think it is still commonly used in organizations today?

• Try to find examples for Tayloristic methods today.

• Can you imagine any cultural differences in the application of Scientific management?

• Do you think it is necessary to analyze every working process in detail and to uniform every step?

communication in organisations scientific management s. grabbe, m.orthwein, r.weiser introduction:...

Documents

management of resources

management text scroll

ancient greece

numerous texts

numerous textbooks

philosophy of manufactures

projektmacher kraft

proper use of statistical