Frederick Winslow Taylor - Scientific Management

"In the past the man was first. In the future the system will be first." (Fredrick Winslow Taylor)

Frederick Winslow Taylor (March 20, 1856 – March 21, 1915) was an American mechanical engineer who sought to improve industrial efficiency. Taylor was one of the intellectual leaders of the Efficiency Movement and his ideas, broadly conceived, were highly influential in the Progressive Era. From an unskilled job at the Midvale Steel Works, to general manager of Manufacturing Investment Company (MIC), he built his knowledge and his theory “The Principles of Scientific Management". Taylor's pioneering work in applying engineering principles to the work done on the factory floor was instrumental in the creation and development of the branch of engineering that is now known as industrial engineering.

Scientific management differed from traditional "initiative and incentive" methods of management, where the whole problem is 'up to the workman'; while under the scientific management, fully one-half of the problem (planning & supervision) is 'up to the management'…

The four overriding principles of scientific management are as follows:

Each part of an individual's work must be analysed "scientifically," and the most efficient methodology for undertaking the job is devised and the maximum amount of "first-class" production is measure in a day. Workers are then expected to do this much work every day.

Everyone, has the ability to be "first class" at some job.  It is management's role to find out which job suits each employee and train them until they are first class.

Managers must cooperate with workers to ensure the job is done in the scientific way and according to the "first-class".

Managers take care of planning and supervision of the work, and workers carry it out.

In Taylor's view, it was pointless to involve the shop floor workers in end-of-year profit sharing schemes. Taylor proposed a form of improvement feedback incentive for workers by giving them full credit for the improvement, and be paid a cash premium as a reward.

Many consider his scientific management had a major impact on quality standards. The procedural documentation used in the ISO 9000 series of quality standards is very close to scientific management.