The Practical Leader

SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

In the early 1900s, Frederick Taylor, used “Scientific Management” principles to make the new production lines more efficient. Workers became cogs in the machine; shut off their minds, shut their mouths, and did what engineers and managers told them to do. They had a massive turnover problem.

McGregor 101

McGregor Scientific Management Taylorism Taylor 101

Great Leadership By Dan

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

The shift marks a significant move away from Henri Fayol's autocratic “command-and-control” type management theories and methodologies which have been in vogue since the early 1900s. So leaders are now tasked with ensuring the same vision, values and cadence of communications are shared clearly internally and externally.

Fayol 191

Fayol Press Release Scientific Management Drucker 191

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 2, 2013

Frederick Winslow Taylor , regarded as the father of scientific management and one of the first management consultants in the early 1900s, believed workers were incapable of dissecting and improving their jobs. Taylor expected workers to comply with a standard set of steps defined by process experts (including Taylor himself).

Tools 16

Tools Taylorism Taylor Bottom-up 16

Harvard Business Review

JULY 18, 2016

When Frederick Taylor published his pioneering principles of scientific management in 1912, the repetitive and mundane nature of most jobs required employees to think as little as possible. In other words, higher career security is a function of employability, and that in turn depends on learnability. Vincent Tsui for HBR.

Long-term 8

Long-term Short-term Open-book Scientific Management 8

Harvard Business Review

JULY 2, 2014

This need to publish to make a career has led to increasingly obscure research of almost no value to real businesses, specialization that encourages silo thinking, and a serious disregard of the importance of teaching students to think. In essence, the pendulum has swung fully the other way.

Education 17

Education Drucker Globalization Trends 17

Harvard Business Review

JULY 2, 2014

The need to publish to make a career has also led to increased specialization among faculty that, in turn, has encouraged disciplinary silo thinking in both research and teaching. The scientific management emphasis on efficiency and profit at all costs can no longer take precedence over human values.

Education 10

Education Drucker Gordon Scientific Management 10