The Principles of Scientific Management Description:

The Principles of Scientific Management review:
1 stars (Phrase) - I understand that some terms are well-known, but in 1998, to use the term "nigger in the woodpile" in quotes or not does not ride well with me. I have to read a handout from this book for a class. Had I bought the book, I would've returned it. But since I cannot return copies, I guess I'm stuck with it, but I will be complaining to my teacher about the use of this handout.
5 stars (The Roots of Modern Management) - Taylor's ideas are commonly viewed as being antiquated because of the time and circumstances under which he worked. Not so! If you think TQM (including Deming, Juran, Shewart, and Taguchi) and Collaborative Management are the answer, you'll find the roots of of these and more in Taylor. It is true that Taylor applied his efforts mainly to work consisting of brute force - but that was the workplace world which existed then.Before reading Taylor, you should first get up to speed on modern management/leadership concepts. Then, travel back to a time before machines replaced human labor. (If you are my age it should be easy!) Now read Taylor and use just a bit of imagination to visualize what he would be doing today. Then, and only then, can you begin to understand and appreciate what this man and a few other pioneers like him did.Would his mindset change the way you do business? Then you'd better change because TQM and Collaborative Management are just Taylor on steroids. You can't understand management/leadership unless you understand Taylor. And you can't compete unless you understand both of these.
5 stars (Still relevant) - Although dated this short book contains intersting lessons. The book presents scientific management. Scientific management applies to the management of industrial processes and is based on four principles:- Development of a science: The various ways of doing the task are analyzed and the best way is identified (note that further progress may be made due to new innovation);- Selection and training of the work force: The most suitable people are hired and trained to perform according to the science;- Constant help and feedback: The employees receive regular feedback on their work and help if they are falling behind;- Deep management involvement in production: Management plans ahead to make sure that the tasks are performed in the best possible way.The book also emphasizes the human aspect of management: change can only be done slowly and by convincing the employees of the benefits. This explains why it takes a long time to switch to scientific management. Employees need financial rewards for performing well and employees who create better practices should also be recognized and rewarded.Most examples in the book are dated and not particularly relevant today. They still provide data to judge the improvements that scientific management may provide. The language is also dated and politically incorrect. However if you do not let this distract you, the core of the book remains relevant. Even for modern intellectual work, there are many lessons that can be learned from the book. For example, for software engineering (which I am familiar with):- Make sure that you use the best practices ;- Hire smart people and give them the right tools;- Give feedback on performance and training when needed;- Actively manage the project, especially the scope of the project when changes occur.Although scientific management can be applied to turn employees into automata, there is something good about its emphasis on hard numbers and best practices. I suggest that you read the book with an open mind and pick the core material that applies to your situation.