This short statement can be a meaningful summary of what Taylor’s Scientific Management is all about when it comes to motivation.
What the workmen want from employers beyond anything else is higher wages. But, in the majority of cases, man deliberately plans to do as little as possible. Hence, because people are rational, they would work harder, if they were better paid.
Introduction to Taylor’s Scientific Management
Fred W. Taylor made the first serious attempt to analyze worker motivation to advise management on the best ways to increase worker performance measured through productivity (efficiency). He came up with the approach known as ‘scientific management’ due to the detailed recording and analysis of results that it involves.
Taylor believed that workers are primarily motivated by money alone and that productivity could be improved by setting output and efficiency targets related to pay. Workers are paid using piece-rate payment systems – a fixed amount for every unit they produce. If workers are motivated by money, then they will work harder because the more units they produce, the more they will be paid. This largely applies to employed low-skilled workers (untrained and non-specialized), who mass produce products, being most interested in the pay. He advocated using differentiated piecework whereby workers are paid a standard level of output and receive a higher rate, if they exceed that level. Hence, incentivizing more productive workers.
Taylor promoted the idea of division of labor which included breaking down different aspects of a job into smaller tasks assigned to different people in order to specialize in the production process. This labor specialization is supposed to improve efficiency and output.
As factory workers were poorly-equipped to plan their own work but only sought to maximize their economic rewards from work, it was a manager’s duty to decide how each and every individual task should be completed by planning, directing and controlling workers. Workers ought to be scientifically selected for tasks, based on their abilities rather than managers subjectively making decisions based on their perceptions of potential employees. There is no formal selection or appraisal system of staff and many workers were recruited on a daily or weekly basis with no security of employment.
Main Taylor’s views on motivation include:
- Think like an economic man. While financial compensation is important, acknowledge the wider range of motivators that drive employees today, such as personal growth, job security, recognition and meaningful work.
- Select the right people for each task. Managers should employ the principles of staff selection to attempt to identify suitable workers. Emphasize the importance of assessing skills, aptitudes, and cultural fit to ensure successful employee selection.
- Observe and record the performance of staff. Highlight the value of data-driven insights for improving processes and employee performance, but emphasize the importance of employee involvement and feedback in this process.
- Establish the best method of doing a job. In principle, efficiency depends on the best ways of working being adopted. Foster a culture of collaboration and innovation where employees contribute to identifying and implementing best practices.
- Set up piece-work payment systems. Workers tend to vary output they produce according to their financial needs at different times of year. Consider alternative compensation models that incentivize quality, collaboration, and achieving collective goals alongside individual performance.
Relevance of Taylor’s motivation theory to modern industry
The results of Taylor’s research on motivation revolutionized the way work is organized in many industries and his approach is still used by many manufacturing businesses throughout the world. It simply enables industrial leaders to earn greater profits by increasing efficiency and productivity by linking wage levels with output produced.
The idea that a man is driven by money alone and the only factor that could stimulate further effort is the chance of earning extra money was world changing. A low rate per unit is set for the first units produced and then higher rates are payable if production targets are exceeded to encourage higher output.
Taylor’s scientific management was first famously adopted by Henry Ford who used the conveyor belt technology to mass produce Model T cars. The workers specialized in one task only, there was strict management control over work methods and payment were determined by output levels.
These features of successful production-line techniques were the driving forces behind all mass production until the Japanese style of working and people management became more widespread. They included unique blend of collective responsibility, long-term commitment and strong work ethic.
The culture, values and beliefs of low paid workers in India, Vietnam and Indonesia make the use of Taylor’s approach suitable to be used by businesses in many countries with mass production and flow-line techniques
McDonald’s uses a system of scientific management in food-preparation procedures, e.g. cooking temperatures and cooking times are the same all over the world in every restaurant. McDonald’s ensures that its managers are trained to perform all tasks in exactly the same way anywhere in the world as they routinely inspect production processes in their restaurants to ensure that things run smoothly.
Criticism of Taylor’s approach to motivation
Ineffective when referring to jobs that focus on mental rather than physical output because. Firstly, it is difficult to measure mental output in some professions, e.g. teachers, doctors, social care workers, etc. And secondly, it ignores the non-physical contributions of workers.
Ignoring non-financial factors that motivate people as many people are not only and simply motivated by money. Although it rewards hard work, employees do not necessarily feel that the financial compensation is sufficient relative to the drawbacks of such a system.
Waged-staff are paid using a piecework system for doing repetitive and monotonous tasks and have no input into how things are done, thereby leading to job dissatisfaction. Due to higher levels of education in modern societies, workers do not want to be told what to do but prefer to have a say in how things are done as many are innovative and independent thinkers.
