Analysis of Principles of Scientific Management, Bureaucracy, and Their Use in Organizations

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Introduction

The need for Scientific Management arose when the evolution and evolvement of the world. Life always evolving so are new theories and perspectives in the world of Management, Business and the world of work revolutionized. Long ago at the bartering stages of life where people would trade crops and livestock we had more small farms and farming, now it evolves where the small farms turns into Factories, small shops where in Trinidad we would call “Parlor/ Snacket ” to Groceries and Companies this is where we moved to a new era of the Stage of Industrialization. From here we now need the supporting machinery, Power-Steam engine and Hydro-power. So therefor Machine innovations steps in.

The Distribution and Transportation of goods or raw materials now needed new intervention so the evolvement kept growing and growing. From this Intervention, came innovation of Transport access way, and efficient transport, railroads, systematic road systems, steam-boats, aircraft and so on. Lines of Communication is so evolved where it was the telegraph, to telephone to pager, to cell phones, computers and real time conversation through technology. Now you can have a business meeting sitting in your office with others around the world via internet.

From revolutionary changes from farm era to factories the issues that arises was people working alongside machinery, large groups of people working together with no structure. The industries were growing at a rapid state. This however now stems the need of an intervention to create structure and standards. The companies have a strive to grow big but it rises questions of help to grow and get there. This help needed includes how to manage all their employees, organizing managerial structure, training employees (where many of them are non- English speaking immigrants), scheduling complex manufacturing operations, dealing with increased labour dissatisfaction and resulting strikes, needs a new approach to coordination and control of large complex companies. This is where The Classical Management Theories of the founding fathers came about. Max Weber (1864-1920) – The Theory Bureaucracy; Fredrick W. Taylor (1856-1915)- Scientific Management; Henri Fayol (1841-1925).

These Theories and Perspectives evolved since the late 1800’s, which is chunked into three major perspective of Management. They are, The Classical, The Humanistic and The Management Science Perspectives. http://polaris.umuc.edu/tgrodsky/admn601/managethought.html

a. Discuss the principles of scientific management and its contribution to the work environment also at the end discussed its pros and cons

The Principles of Scientific Management

“Scientific management emphasizes scientifically determined jobs and management practices as the way to improve efficiency and labor productivity.” Richard L. Daft, Management Twelfth Edition, (Vanderbilt University 2014), 74

The Scientific Management Theory by Fredrick W. Taylor (1856-1915) is a Theory which arose not only to increase the need of productivity but a way to grow and broaden productivity by having a series of principles to increase the efficiency of workers. The Scientific Management Theory was developed apart from Fredrick W Taylor, input from Henry L. Gantt, and Frank and Lillian Gilbreth.

“Fredrick W. Taylor (1856-1915) deals with his philosophy on four basic principles:

The development of true science of Management, so that the best method for performing each task could be determined. For Example, A Bakery (Kiss Baking Company Limited), the time taken to bake 1000 cakes.
The scientific selection of workers, so that each worker would be given responsibility for the task for which he or she was best suited. Same Example as above, (Kiss Baking Company Limited) The workers that mix the batter, the workers that batches the batter, the workers at Filling cream station, Baking or oven area, packaging.
The scientific education and development of the worker Here is where it involves training the workers for their specified tasks, the increase in knowledge of the tasks of the worker the faster it is for them to perform.
Intimate, friendly co-operation between management and labour.” The more pressured and stressed environment the workers are in the less production management would receive as inversely to the more relaxed but focused the environment, the company will benefit from better production. http://polaris.umuc.edu/tgrodsky/admn601/managethought.html

Fredrick. W. Taylor, bases his beliefs on the emphasis on increasing production than fussing over profits. He believed that when there is an increase in production there will be an increase in profits and that both Management and labour has the responsibility and must have common interest to accomplish increase productivity.

His scientific management method was studied and developed from a manufacturing type company view more specific production-line studies. He analysed and studied work methods and time taken to do each component. He dissected each job specifics then designed the quickest and best methods of performing each task. In this way he established how much workers can have produced and how much productivity will be resulted. He also endorses that employers pays their productive workers at a higher rate than others a motivation incentive which would benefit both the company and employee.

In society today this method is the foundation, the godfather to all different job specifics and projects. Form production-line factories, oil and gas, construction and many more. These principles still apply today. In Project Management many of the scientific approaches is used still today.

This modern production by Fredrick W. Taylor is just one legacy of Scientific Management. The techniques have been applied to many tasks in non- industrial organizations ranging from fast food service to training of doctors.

Here are some limitations of The Scientific Management Theory; Workers and Unions began to opposed this approach because they feared that working harder or faster would shorten their work available causing possible layoffs. Have too little motivational impact. It puts the employee undue pressure to perform faster and faster increasing productivity into profitability. As a result, more workers joined unions and reinforced mistrust that shaded labour-management relations for decades.

The Principles of Bureaucracy “Bureaucracy in Formal Organisations informationparlor.com”

b. Discuss the principles of bureaucracy and its contribution to contemporary management also at the end discuss its pros and cons

“A systematic approach developed in Europe that looked at the organization as a whole is the bureaucratic organizations approach, a subfield within the classical perspective. Max Weber (1864–1920), a German theorist, introduced most of the concepts on bureaucratic organizations.

During the late 1800s, many European organizations were managed on a personal, family-like basis. Employees were loyal to a single individual rather than to the organization or its mission. The dysfunctional consequence of this management practice was that resources were used to realize individual desires rather than organizational goals. Weber envisioned organizations that would be managed on an impersonal, rational basis. This form of organization was called a bureaucracy.

This type of management stresses the need for strict hierarchical controls which governs by clear defined regulations and functional lines of authority. This type of management is needed for large organisation where the specified divisions of labour were defined and whose objectives and activities were totally thought out. “Max Weber (1864-1920) believed that technical competence should be emphasized and that performance evaluation should be made entirely on the basis of merit”. http://polaris.umuc.edu/tgrodsky/admn601/managethought.html

Bureaucracy lays the foundations for contemporary management which envisions organizations and manage on a rational basis that involves planning, leading, organizing and controlling operations to achieve organizational goals. Managers at their functions at each level of an organization are responsible for using resources effectively. Building skills in making decisions, monitoring information and supervising personnel are essential to achieving success. Challenges include managing a diverse workforce, maintaining a competitive edge, behaving ethically and using emerging technologies. By: Tara Duggan, “Contemporary Management & Building Management Skills,” Updated September 26,2017

The advantages of Bureaucracy in an organization are as follows; There are specialized division of work. Rules and Regulations are designed to ensure the consistency in performance. Hierarchical authority, clear lines of authority not confusion of answering to two and three bosses. Proper Record keeping of each function. Overall this type of management give structure to company and organizations. Many Companies uses this type of management especially government. As much as it has structure and the benefits listed above there are some disadvantages to it where the organization becomes rigid and inflexible. The Creativity and innovation for new ideas are suppressed. The Organizational rules and regulations are given priority over an individual’s need and emotions. The paperwork and procedures may be long complex and frustrated. This can lead to the lack of motivation throughout the organization.

c. Based on your experience at work or school, describe some ways in which the principles of scientific management and bureaucracy are still used in organizations[image: ]

In today’s society the functions in the working world, bureaucracy is used and still governs organizations weather it may be a school or public or private sector organization. We use what is called the organization structure which set the clear lines, functional authority and standards of an organization. There are the Functional Organization where the line of Authority come from the functional managers in their respective department. Another spectrum is the Projectized Organization here the firm’s administrative support groups (HR, Legal, Finance, Controller, IT, Communications etc.) reports to the president or CEO as staff operation though it may have functional members serve on more than two projects. The Matrixed Organization is the combination of both projectized and functional. This type of organization can take on a wide variety of specific forms, depending on which of the two extremes. In Project Management It should be emphasized that the PM controls when and what these people will do, while the functional managers control who will be assigned to the project and how the work will be done, including the technology used. “A firm, if successful, tends to grow, adding resources and people, developing an organisational structure. Commonly, the focus of the structure is specialization of the human elements of the group. As long as its organizational structure is sufficient to the tasks imposed on it, the structure tends to persist”. Jack R Meredith & Samuel J. Mantel,Jr.(Project Management A Managerial Approach, Eight Edition), 176

In my experience the principles of bureaucracy and scientific management still are being used in organizations. There is a structure and line authority to follow. In Government offices and some private sector in Trinidad and Tobago this type of management is clearly used likewise, in my organization there is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Then The Chief Financial Officer, General Manager, The Functional Managers to name a few are; Human Resource, Accounts, Communications, Administrative, and so on in its respective departments, supervisors and then lower level working or floor staff. The differential rate system, Taylor (1856-1915) is still being used where, when the employee passes their previous performance to earn and incentive.

The Principles of Bureaucracy and scientific management, will it ever cease to be part of organizational life?

d. Do you believe these characteristics will ever cease to be part of organizational life? This requires a discussion and support for your answer.

This plan is still being used today and is still strongly influenced on organizations. Pioneers uses these form of management to govern their empire, governments have been using these forms as foundations for the structure of running the government in a systematic way. These characteristics will not cease to be part of organizational life because it is too rooted and intertwined into the foundations of the leading management style which govern and runs the operations no matter what style of management is used. People have been shaping and reshaping organizations for many centuries. Through world history, we can trace the stories of people in formal organizations such as the Greek and Roman armies or The Roman

Catholic Church. People also have been long writing how to make organizations efficient and effective long before such terms as “management” came into common usage.

References

Richard L. Daft, Management Twelfth Edition, (Vanderbilt University 2014), 74
http://polaris.umuc.edu/tgrodsky/admn601/managethought.html
By: Tara Duggan, “Contemporary Management & Building Management Skills,” Updated September 26, 2017
https://www.managementstudyhq.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-bureaucracy.html
Jack R Meredith & Samuel J. Mantel, Jr. (Project Management A Managerial Approach, Eight Edition), 176

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Analysis of Principles of Scientific Management, Bureaucracy, and Their Use in Organizations

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