Chapter 3 Rational Work Design

Question 1

What is Rational Work design

Answer 1

Taylor and Ford’s view that work is

Aimed to make workers more cost effective and efficient

• A means of achieving a clearly defined goal

Designed to achieve ends in the most cost/time efficient way

Designed in scientific manner using measurement and calculation

Broken down into simplistic repetitive tasks

Designed to minimise waste

Organisations and workers are tools used to achieve this

Question 2

What is Scientific Management, Taylorism

Answer 2

Work is broken into small repetitive tasks and then measured and designed to be performed the most efficient way possible

Question 3

What is Taylorism

Answer 3

View that prioritises efficient work and which involves the control of workers

Question 4

What are the Principles of Scientific Management

Answer 4

Division of Labour: Breaking job into small repetitive tasks

Scientific selection of employees - Selecting who is a better component for the types of work

Workers work, managers manage: The managers do all of the mental work / planning, and the workers perform the given tasks

Workers and managers co operate
- Workers and managers need to co-operate (Relationship of control)

Question 5

What are Taylor’s problems of control over labour

Answer 5

Labour non standard and unpredictable

Craft knowledge and expert power

Labour organised in gangs

Labour lazy and unmotivated

Soldiering (Creating time for themselves and not working as efficiently as possible)

• Meant that people couldn’t be controlled like machines

Question 6

Control Through Taylorism (SISKS)

Answer 6

Standardization - Designing the precise nature of work, down to basic movements, to Increase uniformity and predictability so that no matter the craft background of the worker the job could be done

Individualization - Taylor individualized gangs as they had one job to perform, bypassing soldiering and control

Surveillance - If a worker doesn’t perform their job properly, it is easier to single out due to individualism

Knowledge - Power that workers have from craft knowledge is made redundant, as they only have knowledge of their individual simple task

Skill - The skill required to perform a job is diminished greatly by scientific management. When the task is simple, workers are now expendable, giving the management more bargaining power