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BUS5113 - Principles Of Scientific Management in Modern Times

   

Added on  2020-03-04

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Principles Of Scientific Management in Modern TimesIt is a well known fact that Frederick was hired by Henry Ford of the Ford Motor Company and by implementing the principles of scientific management given by Winslow, Henry was able to “mass-produce his cars at affordable prices[ CITATION The \l 1033 ]”.Frederick Winslow Taylor was an American born in 1856. He was one of the first mechanical engineers who experimented throughout his working life to improve inefficiencies in a business organization. “Frederick Taylor was the most influential management guru of the early 20th century[ CITATION Sch15 \l 1033 ]. In the year 1911, he wrote a book discussing about the work environment in a company, the drawbacks and limitations, and how these could be eliminated. This book was called as "The Principles of Scientific Management". In his book, he wrote in detail about how a business could be better run by removing the inefficiencies in its functioning and he came up with several guidelines or principles that can be followed by any organization to perform better. Following are discussed some of the principles Winslow wrote about in his book. These will helpin understanding better if these principles are useful in the modern times as there has been a vast and rapid change in the technological advances. 1. Instead of following any rules of thumb, business organizations need to take a more scientific approach in their day to day working, by determining the most efficient, effective and speedy ways to complete even the smallest of tasks. “Rule of Thumb means decisions taken by manager as per their personal judgments[ CITATION RKa17 \l 1033 ]”.This holds true in the modern day times of advanced technologies as well. By following a scientific approach, one can get maximum output with minimum input. A perfect example of thisprinciple can be seen in the biggest fast food chain on the planet known as “McDonald’s”. No matter which country one visits, every McDonald’s has the same method of preparing food and serving customers. “All the McDonalds store throughout the world undertake any simple task like mopping and cleaning the same way (one best way)[ CITATION Har16 \l 1033 ]”. Therefore, getting rid of the rule of thumb and using a scientific way of completing even the simplest of tasks. So, instead of the workers just throwing in a few slices of tomatoes or cheese to make a

burger, there is a certain set of instructions that the employee has to follow and repeat it as many times as required in order to make the burger.2. The second principle given by Winslow was that work should be assigned to laborers on the basis of capability instead of randomly assigning tasks to individuals. The organization should “select, train, teach and develop[ CITATION Lup10 \l 1033 ]”. It is given that when tasks are assigned on the basis of a worker's ability, he or she will be able to perform the given tasks more efficiently as compared to someone who is either not motivated enough or not capable enough to complete a given task in the given time. McDonalds has been able to accomplish this in “the McDonald’s Home Office Campus in Oak Brook with a faculty of 30 resident professors where management training, operations developments, equipment familiarity practices and interpersonal skills courses are offered to workers[ CITATION Mic14 \l 1033 ]”. McDonald’s also provides motivation to employees by encouraging them to work harder, have more sales and better customer services. Every month, an “Employee of the Month” is selected which creates a healthy competitive environment within the organization. Although, some people argue that this principle is not valid in modern times. They argue that in today’s world, people are not just motivated by the economic benefit of being efficient in their workplace as opposed to the workforce which worked “working solely for economic reward[ CITATION Sea05 \l 1033 ]”.3. The third principle of Winslow's scientific management involved proper monitoring of the employees as well as timely inspection and supervision. The third principle involved the managers developing formal working relations through establishing teamwork[ CITATION Ess13 \l 1033 ]”. Most business organizations today indulge themselves in proper follow up of their employees. Some even go ahead and have policies that allow the employers to carry out timely inspection of the employee’s laptops, computers or workstations. 4. The fourth and the last principle involved equal division of work amongst the labor workforce as well as between the managers and the laborers. This allows the managers to manage their timeschedules better and the workforce to be more efficient. “If employers have more efficient workers, profit margins increase[ CITATION Lup10 \l 1033 ]”. This principle was implemented by a number of businesses worldwide and almost all the organizations who put this principle to use reported greater efficiencies and outputs by up to three times. A well known example would be “Dominos Pizza. Work is equally divided between workers attending customers, those involved

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