Scientific Management Lecture Notes

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary and concepts related to Scientific Management as outlined by Frederick W. Taylor and its implications in modern contexts.

Frederick Taylor

Credited with the development of scientific management, a style of managing applying engineering logic to organization.

Scientific Management

A form of job design theory and practice that emphasizes short, repetitive work cycles and economic rewards for motivation.

Soldiering

The act of workers deliberately working at less than their full capacity, categorized into natural and systematic soldiering.

Key Principle 1

A clear division of tasks and responsibilities between management and workers.

Key Principle 2

Use of scientific methods to determine the best way of doing a job.

Key Principle 3

Scientific selection of the individual best suited for the newly designed job.

Key Principle 4

Training the selected worker to perform the job in a specified manner.

Key Principle 5

Surveillance of workers through hierarchies of authority and close supervision.

Taylorism

The scientific study of work leading to its division into standardized movements, reflecting a belief in a 'one best way' to manage.

Foxconn

A major technology manufacturing company founded in 1974, premiering practices reflective of scientific management.

Criticism of Scientific Management

Involves arguments that it limits worker skills and autonomy while enhancing managerial control.

Managerial Control

The process specifying both what and how a task is to be accomplished along with the timing for completion.

Unintended Consequences

Negative outcomes such as worker dissatisfaction and mental strain resulting from strict management practices.

Economic Rewards

Monetary incentives that, according to Taylor, primarily motivate workers in a scientific management setting.

Rational Management

An approach where control over work is increasingly shifted towards managers, often at the expense of worker understanding.

Social Impacts of Scientific Management

The societal focus on efficiency and rationalization of work processes as influenced by Taylor's principles.

Human Relations Theory

An alternative perspective to scientific management emphasizing the importance of worker relationships and motivation.