Scientific Management

Scientific management is an approach within classical management theory that emphasizes the scientific study of work methods in order to improve workers efficiency.

There are four principles of scientific management by Federick Winslow Taylor.

1. Scientifically study each part of a task and develop the best method for performing the task.

2. Carefully select workers and train them to perform the task by using the scientifically developed method.

3. Cooperate fully with workers to ensure that they use the proper method.

4. Divide the work and responsibility so that management is responsible for planning work methods using scientific principles and workers are responsible for executing the work accordingly.

In the early 20 century, Federick Taylor observed a problem, which is soldiering by workers. Soldiering is deliberately working at a less than full capacity. This is due to the fear that increasing productivity will cause them or the other workers to lose their jobs. Further more, faulty wage systems set up by management encouraged workers to operate at slow pace. Methods that were handed down from generation to generations were often very inefficient.

Thus, Taylor came out with a method known as time-and-motion study. This study involves breaking down the work tasks into its various elements, or motions, eliminating unnecessary motions, determining the best way to do the job, and then timing each motion to determine the amount of production that could be expected per day.

We can see time and motion study taking place in the process of macdonaldization, that it takes a task and breaks it down into smaller tasks. This process is repeated until all tasks have been broken down to the smallest possible level. The result of this is an efficient, logical sequence of methods that can be completed the same way every time to produce the desire outcome. The out come is predictable. All aspect of process are easily controlled. Additionally, Quantity (or calculability) becomes the measurement of good performance.

The first of the four principle of scientific management that creates task specialization is scientifically study each task and develop the best methods for performing the task. As such, we can see it in one of the four elements that is mentioned in macdonaldisation which is efficiency. Efficiency is the “dining experience” embodies all the principles of assembly line and the customers becomes an integral part of processes instead of completing a tasks individually, which soldering might occur to hinder efficiency rate. By breaking down a task into several parts, every individual will master the part of a task that is allocated to them. One example is what we can see in today’s fast food restaurant a system that is similar to assembly line. Or even in banking branches whereby certain branches have counters that are specific for certain transaction (e.g. deposit, withdrawal, telegraphic transfer). Those that we have mentioned above, is to increase productivity and efficiency.

The second principle of scientific management is to carefully select workers, and train them to perform the tasks by using scientifically developed methods. This principle is to train workers to perform their tasks in greater efficiency, thus produce bigger quantity. It is then developed to one aspect of Macdonaldization, that is calculability. Calculability is an emphasis on the quantity of products and services offered (time taken to get the product). In today MacDonald, we can see that they emphasis on “Big Mac” or even “Upsize” the meal. In banking branches, I understand where we have Quality of Service; queue time was taken into account for our service rating.

The third out of the four principle is to co-operate fully with workers to ensure that they use proper method, is what is developed as predictability in macdonaldisation, where emphasize is a routine, achieve the same thing consume over and

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