Scientific management

Question 1

Who is the founder of scientific management?

Answer 1

Frederick Winslow Taylor

Question 2

What are the four principles of scientific management?

Answer 2

Time Study, Motion Study, Standardisation, Functional Foremanship

Question 3

What is meant by the term “Time Study” from Scientific Management?

Answer 3

Developing a science for work. Observe and measure normal output of work with a stopwatch

Question 4

What can be gained from observing normal output?

Answer 4

Improvements can be made to the design of tools and workstations.

Question 5

What is meant by the term “Motion Study” from Scientific Management?

Answer 5

Scientifically selecting and training an employee.

Question 6

Why were workers specifically selected for the role in Scientific Management?

Answer 6

Taylor believed everyone had different aptitudes and different works were suited to different jobs.
It was the task of selecting the right employees that would be coined management by Taylor.

Question 7

In Scientific management, what could be described as good management?

Answer 7

When the right employees were selected for the role, resulting in the highest output.

Question 8

What is meant by the term “Standardisation” from Scientific Management?

Answer 8

Standardisation is when the science of work (measuring output) is coupled with selecting and training the right man for the job.

Question 9

What assumptions did Taylor make about his management technique that turned out to be false? (2 points)

Answer 9

Workers would welcome the changes because of their increased training.
Managers would resist because they would have to give up some privileges.

Question 10

What is meant by the term “Functional Foremanship” from Scientific Management?

Answer 10

Management and workers must specialise and collaborate closely.

Question 11

In Scientific Management, what should managers focus on?

Answer 11

Mental labour; designing, setting up and maintaining systems.

Question 12

Explain the “Task Idea” from Scientific Management (4 points)

Answer 12

• The work for each man is carefully planned out.
• Each man receives written instructions.
• The manager specifies the task and how much is to be done in what amount of time.
• A man well suited to the task will thrive.

Question 13

Before scientific management, who is in control? Explain in detail. (4 points)

Answer 13

The workmen. They carefully planned how each job should be done and how long it would take.
They had a daily set piece rate for each machine.
New workmen were informed of the piece rate and told to stick with it.
Those that didn’t were ousted by the other workmen.

Question 14

Why did scientific management spread so quickly? (2 points)

Answer 14

It was easy to implement .
The first world was meant that skilled men would leave and jobs would have to be carried out by unskilled women. This led to the increase of highly specialised, simple tasks.

Question 15

What are some of the negatives of Scientific Management from the EMPLOYEE’S point of view? (4 points)

Answer 15

Unemployment - it was easy to fire/hire unskilled labour to carry out basic tasks if a workmen didn’t deliver “a good days work”.

Exploitability.

Monotomy - Tasks were broken down so much that they were repetitive and boring.

Over speeding - Simple tasks carried out extremely quickly would produce less quality results.

Question 16

What are some of the negatives of Scientific Management from the MANAGER’S point of view? (4 points)

Answer 16

Smaller workshops were at risk of being swallowed up.

Very few managers were willing to accept productivity based wages as Taylor has suggested.

Existing management felt their job would be taken by a systematic manager.

Quality of work dropped

Question 17

In Scientific Management, why were productivity based wages not brought in?

Answer 17

Taylor had highlighted how little work the workers were carrying out. They managers didn’t feel they should pay any more for workers to be doing what they should have all along.

Question 18

Who was Andrew Carnegie?

Answer 18

One of America’s most wealthiest men in history.
A morse-code telegram operator hired by Tom Scott to work on the railways.
Understood money was in producing the raw materials for the railway not jut bridges.
Created a new type of iron, steel, that was much stronger and hard wearing. Although it cost more at first it saved the rail builders money over time because it lasted longer.

Question 19

Where is scientific management most commonly used today?

Answer 19

Royal Mail, United Parcel Delivery, other organisations that were repetitive tasks need to be carried out.

Question 20

What did Royal Mail do inline with scientific management?

Answer 20

Restricted their work flow so to make the sorting and delivering of mail more efficient.
Brought in a computer system to plan routes based on a number of factors.
Used vans instead of bikes, similar to Taylor’s remodelling of workstations and tools.

Question 21

United Parcel Delivery introduced some controversial rules, name a few.

Answer 21

Set walking speed on deliveries.
Length of moustaches .
Hair length.
No beards.
Packages should be carried under the left arm.
Step into the van with the right foot, keys on the right hand, middle finger.