Frederick Winslow Taylor Essay Research Paper IntroductionThis

Frederick Winslow Taylor Essay, Research Paper

Introduction

This paper is in response to the assignment for a paper and short speech concerning a

person with relevant contributions to the world of management. Frederick Taylor is

affectionately referred to as the .Father of Scientific Management.. The modern systems of

manufacturing and management would not be the examples of efficiency that they are today,

without the work of Taylor. Frederick Taylor was instrumental in bringing industry out of the

dark ages by beginning to revolutionize the way work was approached. Taylor was able to

increase wages, productivity and reduce per piece costs at the same time. Taylor.s work was

eventually adopted in a wide array of applications. Taylor.s ideas had a significant influence on

the industrial life of all modernized countries. Even Lenin went as far as to publish an article in

Pravda , .Raising the Productivity of Labour,. based on the writings of Taylor. Thus Taylor

changed the way the world conducted business. Taylor.s work was an extension of technology.

It was a marriage of human work and technology. His Priniciples of Scientifiic Management

was conceived to be free of value judgement.

The Younger Years

Frederick W. Taylor was born into a well-to-do family in Philadelphia in 1856 . His

family was not wealthy , but they were well exposed to the high culture of the local society.

Growing up it was expected that Taylor would study to become an attorney. Taylor attended

Phillips-Exeter Academy. He was a devout student, doing very well with his studies. To achieve

good grades, Taylor studied many long hours. It was quite unfortunate that Taylor was to miss

Harvard Law School due to bad eyes that doctors attrributed to studying in the poor light of a

kerosene lamp. In later years it was realized that his eye problem was actually caused by stress,

as it improved after he left Phillips. Taylor moved back home after graduating from Phillips. He

realized that he should take up a trade and got a job as an apprentice machinist and pattern

maker. Having spent four years learning his trade, Taylor got a job as a yard laborer at Midvale

Steel Company.

Taylor realized that at this point he needed to continue his education. He convinced the

people at Stevens Institute of Technology to allow him to attend classes long distance. He would

study in his spare time in Philadelphia and go to the school in New Jersey to take his exams. In

June of 1883, Taylor graduated with a Mechanical Engineering degree. He subsequently

joined the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

Midvale Steel Company

The Midvale Steel Company was part of the post Civil War expansion of industrialized

Philadelphia. They made steel railroad tires. Due to poor management, Midvale failed in 1873.

Fortunately for Taylor, the company was sold and prospered under the direction of the new

owners. There were two reasons for the success of the company. The first was that the company

was able to improve their scientific processes. The second reason was they were to receive

contracts to manufacture Naval gun forgings. By the 1890.s, Midvale was one of the countries

largest defense contracters. The company was in period of rapid growth. Taylor advanced

quickly at Midvale. In eight years he would be promoted from ordinary laborer through the ranks

of time keeper, machinist, gang boss, foreman, assistant engineer to chief engineer of the plant.

Taylor was promoted to gang boss due to the business turn around and the subsequent influx of

orders. As gang boss Taylor was well aware that the workers could be producing at much

higher levels than they were. As Taylor tried to increase production, he met a lot of resistance

from the workers. This fight to increase production gave Frederick Taylor his first look at the

unsystemized managerial methods commonplace in industry. Typically the fly by the seat of the

pants approach was used to manage manufacturing facilities. Taylor realized that there was a

scientific approach to technical problems. Yet, the current approach to dealing with production

problems such as worker behavior was destructive. There needed to be a way to combine

scientific techniques with constructive management. Conditions were favorable for Taylor to

begin his studies in management. First, his chief, William Sellers, was an engineer who

supported research. The second beneficial condition was that the machines his men were using

worked on heavy locomotive parts. The operating times on these machines were long, distinct

and easily measured.

After his appointment to gang boss, Taylor began to put pressure on the men to increase

production. The ensuing struggle caused Taylor to realize that the basis for the conflict was that

management did not understand a proper day.s work. Thus Taylor set out to evaluate a .fair

day.s work.. By 1885 Taylor had devise a sysyem of productio

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