Scientific Management

Task 1a. “The cost of scientific management is the organized study of work, the analysis of work into simplest element and systematic management of worker’s performance of each element.”--- Peter Drucker. Scientific Management is a theory of management that analyzes and synthesizes workflows and its main objective is to improve economic efficiency, especially labor productivity (Mitcham, Carl and Adam, Briggle Management in Mitcham (2005). The two underlying assumptions under this theory are: (a) there is “one best way” to do a job and (b) workers are primarily motivated by increase earnings. Frederick Taylor’s philosophy focused the belief that making people work as hard as they could was not as efficient as optimizing the way the work was done. Meaning, it is about the process on how to make everything easy and not how long or short the period has been consumed in working. Also, in order the worker to be more motivated in doing his job, there should be the “incentive” thing. In able the workers to improve their working skills and to be productive for the economy, management should pay for them on a higher rate than usual. It is a matter of give and take in order to be successful, but according to Adam Smith, Wealth of Nation, "it is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own self-interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities but of their advantages.” Self-interest is the reason why people are working and not that they want to serve other people. Workers work to have money, managers pay workers not to help the latter but for them to be served. It seems a little bit selfishness but have good outcome.
Since the main objective of this theory is to improve economic efficiency, the workers need to be efficient and productive. Efficiency, as defined in Merriam Dictionary, is the ability to so something

References: Task 1a: Principles of scientific management, Frederick Winslow Taylor (1911) http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/economics/taylor/principles/ch02.htm https://www.rti.org/pubs/Toward_demo_decen.pdf Fiedler, Fred E. A Theory of Leadership Effectiveness. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967.