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UNIT 2

FREDERICK W. TAYLOR: SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT

DISCUSSION

Read the following information about IBM’s methods of work and then discuss the questions below.

In his book Management Peter Drucker makes some comments about the workers who produce IBM’s equipment. He says that IBM made a conscious effort to make their jobs big. Take, for example, the machine operators. Although the operations they perform are designed to be simple, the workers do a number of different tasks, of which at least one requires skill and judgement on the worker’s part. Also, because of the range of his/her tasks, the worker is able to change the pace at which he/she works.

Drucker says interesting things about other IBM methods. The way the company develops new products is worth nothing. Before the engineering of the new product is finished, the project is given over to one of the foremen, who then manage it. So, the final details of the engineering design are worked out on the shop floor with the engineer and workers who will make the machine.

IBM production workers are not told what production rate they must achieve. They work out a rate with their foreman. IBM says that “there is no such thing as a production norm. Each man works out for himself, with his superior’s help, the speed and flow of work that will give him the most production”.

1. What are the advantages of making the jobs of production workers big?

Are there any disadvantages?

2. Why, do you think, does IBM develop new products in the manner described?

3. What do we learn about

a) IBM’s attitude towards its production workers?

b) the company’s style of management?

READING

No one has had more influence on managers in the twentieth century than Frederick W. Taylor, an American engineer. He set a pattern for industrial work which many others have followed, and although his approach to management has been criticized, his ideas are still of practical importance.

Taylor founded the school of Scientific Management just before the 1914-18 war. He argued that work should be studied and analysed systematically. The operations required to perform a particular job could be identified, then arranged in a logical sequence. After this was done, a worker’s productivity would increase, and so would his/her wages. The new method was

scientific. The way of doing a job would no longer be determined by guesswork, and rule-of-thumb practices.

Instead, management would work out scientifically the method for producing the best results. If the worker followed the prescribed approach, his/her output would increase.

When Taylor started work at the end of the nineteenth century, the industrial revolution was in full swing. Factories were being set up all over the USA. There was heavy investment in plant and machinery, and labour was plentiful. He worked for twenty years (1878 – 1898) with the Midvale Steel Company, first as a labourer, then as a Shop Superintendant. After that, he was a consultant with the Bethlehem Steel Company in Pennsylvania.

Throughout this time, he studied how to improve the efficiency of workers on the shop floor. He conducted many experiments to find out how to improve their productivity. His solutions to these problems were, therefore, based on his own experience. Later, he wrote about his experiments. These writings were collected and published in 1947, in a work entitled Scientific Management.

When he was with Bethlehem Steel, Taylor criticized management and workers. He felt that managers were not using the right methods and that workers did not put much effort into their job. They were always “soldiering” – taking it easy. He wanted both groups to adopt a new approach to their work, which would change their thinking completely. The new way was as follows:

1. Each operation of a job was studied and analysed;

2. Using this information, management worked out the time and method for each

job, and the type of equipment to be used;

3. Work was organized so that the worker’s only responsibility was to do the job in

the prescribed manner;

4. Men with the right physical skills were selected and trained for the job.

Observing; analyzing; measuring; specifying the work method; organizing and choosing the right person for the job – these were the tasks of management.

Taylor’s approach produced results! For example, at Bethlehem Steel, he did an experiment with shovels, the tool used for lifting and carrying materials. He studied the work of two first-class shovellers and then changed their working procedure. In the beginning, the men used their own shovels for all the types of materials they handled, whether coal or iron ore. The average load was 38 pounds, and each lifted 25 tons of material a day. By experimenting, Taylor found out that if the men used smaller shovels and carried 21 pounds per load, their daily output increased to 30 tons. As a result, at the beginning of each shift, workers were given different sized shovels, depending on the type of material they loaded, but the load was still 21 pounds. Other workers meeting the standards set by the two shovellers had their wages increased by 60%. Those who could not reach the standard were given special training in shoveling techniques.

By introducing methods like these, Taylor and his colleagues greatly increased productivity at Bethlehem Steel. After a few years, the same amount of work was done by 140 workers instead of 500. Handling costs of materials were halved, which led to annual savings of $80,000.

Taylor made a lasting contribution to management thinking. His main insight, that work can be systematically studied in order to improve working methods and productivity, was revolutionary. Also, he correctly emphasized that detailed planning of jobs was necessary.

The weakness of his approach was that it focused on the system of work rather than on the worker. With this system the worker becomes a tool in the hands of management. It is assumed he/she will do the same boring, repetitive job hour after hour, day after day while maintaining a high level of productivity. Another criticism is that it leads to de-skilling – reducing the skills of workers. Because the tasks are simplified, workers become frustrated. And with educational standards rising among factory workers, dissatisfaction is likely to increase. Finally, some people think that it is wrong to separate doing from planning. The two tasks can, and should, be done by the same person. A worker will be more productive if he/she is engaged in such activities as planning, decision-making, controlling and organizing. For all these reasons, a reaction has set in against the ideas of Frederick W. Taylor.

Understanding the main points

1. Complete the following sentences, using your own words.

1. Taylor’s method of management was revolutionary because

………………………………………………………………………………...

2. Companies which adopted this new approach to management would benefit because ……………………………………………………………………….

3. Scientific Management would also be a good thing for workers because

………………………………………………………………………………...

4. At Bethlehem Steel Taylor decided to give workers smaller shovels so that

………………………………………………………………………………...

5. As a result of the new working procedures introduced at Bethlehem Steel,

within a few years the company ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

Vocabulary focus

1. Find words or phrases in the text which mean the same as the following:

1. making a judgement without being certain (paragraph 2)

……………………………………………………………………………………

2. calculate (paragraph 2)

……………………………………………………………………………………

3. quantity of goods produced (paragraph 2)

……………………………………………………………………………………

4. established (paragraph 3)

……………………………………………………………………………………

5. amount to be carried (paragraph 6)

……………………………………………………………………………………

6. fixed period of time worked each day, especially for factory workers (paragraph 6)

……………………………………………………………………………………

7. perception, clear realization, deep understanding (paragraph 8)

……………………………………………………………………………………

2. What is the meaning of the shop floor? (paragraph 4)

LANGUAGE STUDY

2. Phrasal verbs and compound nouns with set.

A. Match the following verbs and nouns with the correct definitions.

1. set up (v.)                  a) keep for a special purpose

2. set-up (n.)                  b) establish a business or organisation

3. set back (v.)               c) something that slows or impedes progress

4. set-back (n.)              d) an organization or arrangement

5. set about (v.)             e) start to do, or deal with, something

6. set in (v.)                   f) put back or delay the development of something

7. set out (v.)                g) begin an undertaking of some kind, e.g. a journey

8. set against (v.)         h) start and probably continue

9. set aside (v.)            i) balance against

10. set down (v.) j) write, make a record of

B. Complete the following sentences, using suitable verbs and nouns from

the list above.

1. When the Managing Director ……………….. to change the management structure, no one thought he had a chance of succeeding.

2. The strike of our shop floor workers ……………….. production at least three months.

3. It looks as if a recession is about to ……………….. . No one seems to have any money at the moment.

4. The new Marketing Manager doesn’t understand the ……………….. of our department yet.

5. It is a common practice of companies to ……………….. certain business losses ……………….. taxes.

6. One of our competitors has ……………….. a distribution network covering the whole country. How annoying!

7. How on earth are we going to ……………….. reducing our costs?

8. Most companies ……………….. a part of their profits for future investment. The money is kept in their reserves.

9. We had a big ……………….. last year when our warehouse caught fire and our stock was destroyed.

10. If an employee has an accident at work, he or she has to ……………….. what happened in a report.

3. Complete the following passage, using suitable words and phrases from the box

below.

assembly line          foreman                 schedule              quality control

bonus                      lay off                     incentive               robot

capacity                  layout                      overtime

component              redundant               shift

“I used to work in a company which made ……………….. (1) for cars. Things like spark plugs, carburetors, and so on. We were well paid and we had a productivity ……………….. (2) too.

And if we needed extra money for a holiday, you usually had the chance to do a bit of ……………….. (3). The management was generous. They gave prizes, such as car radios, to workers who attended regularly. That was a real ……………….. (4) for us not to be sick! We worked two ……………….. (5) at the factory – I usually worked at night. I liked the ……………….. (6) a lot. He let you get on with the job.

Things changed two years ago. We got several big orders at once and just couldn’t cope. The Production Manager got really upset when we got behind ……………….. (7). The ……………….. (8) people weren’t too pleased either because a number of carburetors had faults, so they were thrown away. In the end, the company brought in some management consultants. They studied our methods of work, then recommended automating part of the plant. That meant changing the whole ……………….. (9) of the factory.

Well, we did as they said. I must say, our production ……………….. (10) did increase and stock levels became high again. The trouble is, the management decided to cut down the work-force. At first, only a few workers were ……………….. (11), but later staff from all departments were made ……………….. (12).

Nowadays, I’m working on an ……………….. (13) in a car manufacturing factory. I spray the car bodies. Would you believe it, I hear they’re bringing in ……………….. (14) to do my job! So I’ll be out of a job again soon”.