Frederick W. Taylor, Father of Scientific Management

Abstract

Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915) lived at a time when few scientific principles existed in the practice of management. He sought to bring rationalization and standardization to the shop floor. By careful scientific observation through time-and-motion studies, jobs were broken down into their simplest components. Work methods of the most skilled workers were analyzed to ascertain the optimal way to perform a job. Workers were then carefully selected, trained and given the proper tools to do the job. Based on scientific observation, a fair day's production standard for each task was set and piece rate system put in place to maximize the incentive value for workers. Taylor's management methods were the result of several decades working in engineering and other manufacturing companies at every level, from machinist to consultancy work. His initial time was spent at Midvale Steel Company of Philadelphia where he was able to observe and experiment with his ideas about scientific management. These ideas were widely adopted during his lifetime and his boks translated into at least a dozen languages. This two-volume biography remains a key source for the life of a pioneer whose ideas now pervade every area of the modern-day working life worldwide.

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