MGT400: INTRODUCTION TO MANAGEMENT
CHAPTER 2: THE EVOLUTION OF MANAGEMENT THOUGHT
The Evolution of Management Theory
Job Specialization and the Division of Labor
Adam Smith (18th-century economist):
• Smith found that the performance of the factories in which workers specialized in only
one or a few tasks was much greater than the performance of the factory in which each
worker performed all 18 pin-making tasks.
Job specialization:
- Process by which a division of labour occurs as different workers specialize in
different tasks over time. • Factory lines
, F.W. Taylor and Scientific Management
Scientific management:
• The systematic study of the relationships between people and tasks for the purpose of
redesigning the work process to increase efficiency.
Principles of Scientific Management
1. Study the way workers perform their tasks, gather all the informal job knowledge that
workers possess, and experiment with ways of improving how tasks are performed.
2. Codify the new methods of performing tasks into written rules and standard operating
procedures.
3. Carefully select workers who possess skills and abilities that match the needs of the task
and train them to perform the task according to the established rules and procedures.
4. Establish a fair or acceptable level of performance for a task and then develop a pay
system that provides a reward for performance above the acceptable level.
Problems with Scientific Management
- Many workers experiencing the reorganized work system found that as their
performance increased, managers required that they do more work for the same pay.
-
- Scientific management brought many workers more hardship than gain and a distrust
of managers who did not seem to care about workers’ well-being.
The Gilbreths
Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, followers of Taylor:
1. Analyse every individual action necessary to perform a particular task and break it into
each of its component actions.
2. Find better ways to perform each component action.
3. Reorganize each of the component actions so that the action could be performed more
efficiently at less cost in time and effort.
CHAPTER 2: THE EVOLUTION OF MANAGEMENT THOUGHT
The Evolution of Management Theory
Job Specialization and the Division of Labor
Adam Smith (18th-century economist):
• Smith found that the performance of the factories in which workers specialized in only
one or a few tasks was much greater than the performance of the factory in which each
worker performed all 18 pin-making tasks.
Job specialization:
- Process by which a division of labour occurs as different workers specialize in
different tasks over time. • Factory lines
, F.W. Taylor and Scientific Management
Scientific management:
• The systematic study of the relationships between people and tasks for the purpose of
redesigning the work process to increase efficiency.
Principles of Scientific Management
1. Study the way workers perform their tasks, gather all the informal job knowledge that
workers possess, and experiment with ways of improving how tasks are performed.
2. Codify the new methods of performing tasks into written rules and standard operating
procedures.
3. Carefully select workers who possess skills and abilities that match the needs of the task
and train them to perform the task according to the established rules and procedures.
4. Establish a fair or acceptable level of performance for a task and then develop a pay
system that provides a reward for performance above the acceptable level.
Problems with Scientific Management
- Many workers experiencing the reorganized work system found that as their
performance increased, managers required that they do more work for the same pay.
-
- Scientific management brought many workers more hardship than gain and a distrust
of managers who did not seem to care about workers’ well-being.
The Gilbreths
Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, followers of Taylor:
1. Analyse every individual action necessary to perform a particular task and break it into
each of its component actions.
2. Find better ways to perform each component action.
3. Reorganize each of the component actions so that the action could be performed more
efficiently at less cost in time and effort.
