The-Principles-of-Scientific-Management

ThePrinciplesofScientificManagement(1911)byFrederickWinslowTaylor,M.E.,Sc.D.IntroductionChapterI:FundamentalsofScientificManagementChapterII:ThePrinciplesofScientificManagementINTRODUCTIONPresidentRoosevelt,inhisaddresstotheGovernorsattheWhiteHouse,propheticallyremarkedthatTheconservationofournationalresourcesisonlypreliminarytothelargerquestionofnationalefficiency.Thewholecountryatoncerecognizedtheimportanceofconservingourmaterialresourcesandalargemovementhasbeenstartedwhichwillbeeffectiveinaccomplishingthisobject.Asyet,however,wehavebutvaguelyappreciatedtheimportanceofthelargerquestionofincreasingournationalefficiency.Wecanseeourforestsvanishing,ourwater-powersgoingtowaste,oursoilbeingcarriedbyfloodsintothesea;andtheendofourcoalandourironisinsight.Butourlargerwastesofhumaneffort,whichgooneverydaythroughsuchofouractsasareblundering,ill-directed,orinefficient,andwhichMrRooseveltreferstoasalackofnationalefficiency,arelessvisible,lesstangible,andarebutvaguelyappreciated.Wecanseeandfeelthewasteofmaterialthings.Awkward,inefficient,orill-directedmovementsofmen,however,leavenothingvisibleortangiblebehindthem.Theirappreciationcallsforanactofmemory,aneffortoftheimagination.Andforthisreason,eventhoughourdailylossfromthissourceisgreaterthanfromourwasteofmaterialthings,theonehasstirredusdeeply,whiletheotherhasmovedusbutlittle.Asyettherehasbeennopublicagitationforgreaternationalefficiency,nomeetingshavebeencalledtoconsiderhowthisistobebroughtabout.Andstilltherearesignsthattheneedforgreaterefficiencyiswidelyfelt.Thesearchforbetter,formorecompetentmen,fromthepresidentsofourgreatcompaniesdowntoourhouseholdservants,wasnevermorevigorousthanitisnow.Andmorethaneverbeforeisthedemandforcompetentmeninexcessofthesupply.Whatwearealllookingfor,however,istheready-made,competentman;themanwhomsomeoneelsehastrained.Itisonlywhenwefullyrealizethatourduty,aswellasouropportunity,liesinsystematicallycooperatingtotrainandtomakethiscompetentman,insteadofinhuntingforamanwhomsomeoneelsehastrained,thatweshallbeontheroadtonationalefficiency.InthepasttheprevailingideahasbeenwellexpressedinthesayingthatCaptainsofindustryareborn,notmadeandthetheoryhasbeenthatifonecouldgettherightman,methodscouldbesafelylefttohim.Inthefutureitwillbeappreciatedthatourleadersmustbetrainedrightaswellasbornright,andthatnogreatmancan(withtheoldsystemofpersonalmanagement)hopetocompetewithanumberofordinarymenwhohavebeenproperlyorganizedsoasefficientlytocooperate.Inthepastthemanhasbeenfirst;inthefuturethesystemmustbefirst.Thisinnosense,however,impliesthatgreatmenarenotneeded.Onthecontrary,thefirstobjectofanygoodsystemmustbethatofdevelopingfirst-classmen;andundersystematicmanagementthebestmanrisestothetopmorecertainlyandmorerapidlythaneverbefore.Thispaperhasbeenwritten:First.Topointout,throughaseriesofsimpleillustrations,thegreatlosswhichthewholecountryissufferingthroughinefficiencyinalmostallofourdailyacts.Second.Totrytoconvincethereaderthattheremedyforthisinefficiencyliesinsystematicmanagement,ratherthaninsearchingforsomeunusualorextraordinaryman.Third.Toprovethatthebestmanagementisatruescience,restinguponclearlydefinedlaws,rules,andprinciples,asafoundation.Andfurthertoshowthatthefundamentalprinciplesofscientificmanagementareapplicabletoallkindsofhumanactivities,fromoursimplestindividualactstotheworkofourgreatcorporations,whichcallforthemostelaboratecooperation.And,briefly,throughaseriesofillustrations,toconvincethereaderthatwhenevertheseprinciplesarecorrectlyapplied,resultsmustfollowwhicharetrulyastounding.ThispaperwasoriginallypreparedforpresentationtoTheAmericanSocietyofMechanicalEngineers.Theillustrationschosenaresuchas,itisbelieved,willespeciallyappealtoengineersandtomanagersofindustrialandmanufacturingestablishments,andalsoquiteasmuchtoallofthemenwhoareworkingintheseestablishments.Itishoped,however,thatitwillbecleartootherreadersthatthesameprinciplescanbeappliedwithequalforcetoallsocialactivities:tothemanagementofourhomes;themanagementofourfarms;themanagementofthebusinessofourtradesmen,largeandsmall;ofourchurches,ourphilanthropicinstitutions,ouruniversities,andourgovernmentaldepartments.CHAPTERI:FUNDAMENTALSOFSCIENTIFICMANAGEMENTTHEprincipalobjectofmanagementshouldbetosecurethemaximumprosperityfortheemployer,coupledwiththemaximumprosperityforeachemployee.Thewordsmaximumprosperityareused,intheirbroadsense,tomeannotonlylargedividendsforthecompanyorowner,butthedevelopmentofeverybranchofthebusinesstoitshigheststateofexcellence,sothattheprosperitymaybepermanent.Inthesamewaymaximumprosperityforeachemployeemeansnotonlyhigherwagesthanareusuallyreceivedbymenofhisclass,but,ofmoreimportancestill,italsomeansthedevelopmentofeachmantohisstateofmaximumefficiency,sothathemaybeabletodo,generallyspeaking,thehighestgradeofworkforwhichhisnaturalabilitiesfithim,anditfurthermeansgivinghim,whenpossible,thisclassofworktodo.Itwouldseemtobesoself-evidentthatmaximumprosperityfortheemployer,coupledwithmaximumprosperityfortheemployee,oughttobethetwoleadingobjectsofmanagement,thateventostatethisfa