Critically Discuss the Contribution of the Work of Frederick W. Taylor

hoary offers a number of eyeshots on foc utilise theory in his record book A Very Short Fairly provoke and clean Cheap Book ab go forth Studying Organisations (2009). He outlines his opinions through a number of themes within the book such(prenominal) as smell at bureaucratism and scientific focal pass together, his views on benignant relations system (HRT) and its links with muckle focusing, the theme of constitution culture and post-bureaucracy and how it is effecting exchange counsel.The utmost theme I pull up s expunges discuss in my essay is ready capitalism and how it is ending centering. While looking at the themes I will in like manner be evaluating grayishs arguments within them and try to doctor them w present applicable to jenny wren and Bedeians book The Evolution of Management imagination (2009). gray-headed views on bureaucracy argon that he empathises it as a highly high-octane way of management in this book bureaucracy is non seen as red tape exactly a management type as put earlier by Weber whereby rules and edict ar used to become as efficient as possible. pertinent materials Scientific Management Theory in Nursing colourize tells us how Weber maxim an emergence of an ideal c aloneed rational legal authority ( gray-headed, 2009). colour in tells us how rationality links with bureaucracy using a number of examples such as formal or instrumental rationality the idea of this is to withdraw a means to meet and end using the most efficient way possible. colourise uses an excellent example to illustrate this being the national socialist Holocaust it is as Grey (2009) says the extreme application of bureaucratic logic. It operated chthonian a set of rules which were applied imperson every(prenominal)y.This allowed it to be unbelievably efficient. Greys ideas on bureaucracy are linked to the ideas explored in Wren and Bedeians The Evolution of Management Thought (2009) both books emphasise how Weber did non mean red tape when he tell bureaucracy, they also look at similar views of the dis favours of bureaucracy such as how lay downers will pass to the rules and because know exactly what they must do to stay in the commerce or to achieve some(prenominal)thing Greys view on scientific management as put forward by Taylor is that his ideas still firebrand up ones mind management today.The real leap for scientific management as explained by Grey (2009) was the use of it by Henry Ford the man who make Ford cars. He employed scientific management within his grind to increase efficiency and it did so hugely. Grey also recognises the problems caused by Taylors ideas. Such as the legion(predicate) strikes by wagerers as it left the reporters with little power and the managers with all the power, one of the main problems with it as explained by Grey (2009) is it eroded working onditions, reduced autonomy and threatened unemployment. I smack that Greys view here focuses too much on the problems caused by scientific management he does give a gravelyly a(prenominal) advantages of it merely he doesnt emphasise enough how scientific management really revolutionised the way in which factories and companies operated such as how using Taylors ideas on scientific management thought companies such as cosmopolitan Motors and Du Pont have become ii of the biggest corporations in the world thanks to it.Wren and Bedeian take similar views to Grey on scientific management however I see they show more admiration for it when they say how scientific management paved the way forward for subsequent management development (Wren and Bedeian 2009). Grey (2009) expresses his view many pile see scientific management as the bad guy and human relations theory (HRT) as the correct guy. I mark off with this and Grey uses the Hawthorne try example which I witnessing expresses this view correctly and helped me understand the inefficiencys caused by HRT.He tells us of an experiment in a coin bank wiring room where workers were producing electrical components and alternatively than produce at maximum output which would earn them a subsidy they choose to produce at a lower level. This was due to promiscuous norms set around the oeuvre such as peer press and an unofficial gang leader. This shows us that the informal side of an government to some is more important than the formal side. This shows how HRT set up be seen as inefficient as and not always better than scientific management.This pile be linked to Wren and Bedeians (2009) conclusions drawn from the Hawthorne Studies, they conclude that these experiments showed us that workers were not driven only by money but also by social factors which can lead to increased and decreased productivity. plenty management and HRT are very similar in my opinion as HRT is the way in which we manage people. It is important for people to see a manager as someone who helps people and not just a person who exploits so meone to get the best work out of them.Grey (2009) gives an example of how HRT has changed the way we view managers by using a son and father conversation. The child asks his dad what he does and he replies how he exploits people and dehumanises them by making them work as hard as possible. Under HRT thought he replies how he helps people and makes unhappy people see that he cares or so them. This example by Grey is exceptional in my opinion and to me it personifies what HRT and people management is it is type of thought whereby the managers flummox is to care for and stir up his workers.The view of the manager is undeniably hugely important to motivating workers as if they are seen as caring and helpful it acts as an incentive to workers to work harder this view is also shared in Wren and Bedeian (2009) where they say the meaning of effective supervision in maintaining employees productivity and job propitiation is huge. Greys (2009) view on organisation culture is that its aim is to intervene and regulate being so that there is no outgo between individuals purpose and those of the organisation for which they work.I halt with what Grey is saying here organisation culture to me is simply making an organisation a place where the worker feels completely comfortable and for the worker to feel proud to work for the company. An example of this I can relate to is the bank RBS having beare work experience with them I now understand how they shit organisation culture. On all their leaflets, cards and employee videos they try to show their hollow values and company slogans to create a considerably organisation culture. Grey argues that managers who try to change organisation culture are completely unrealistic.I agree with what Grey says here as the example he uses shows us how it is not possible. He cites an experiment carried out by Ogbonna and Wilkinson (1988) where a supermarket told all its employees to make customer service their prime focus by smiling a ll the time and to make them feel valued. The study results showed they obeyed superficially because they k unused they were being watched but they didnt mean their shows of friendliness. This may seem like they are carrying out the organisation culture but actually they have failed as they dont actually believe in it.In relation to Wren and Bedeians view on organisation culture differs to that of Grey they see it as more innocent and with less(prenominal) scepticism than Grey does. They (Wren and Bedeian 2009) believe technology, economics and political facets provide the framework for organisation culture. Wren and Bedeian dont go into the areas that Grey goes into when discussing organisation culture such as how management tries to change organisation as I have discussed already. Grey (2009) argues that post-bureaucracy can and should be mocked.He gives examples of studies which have been carried out to show that it is a flimsy thought. He cites a study by Paul Thompson who used aggregate statistical try out and individual cases to prove that job structures and work experience are mostly unchanged by the post-bureaucratic revolution. This study was similar to that of Delbridge (1998) who studied two factories one which had all the paraphernalia of a post-bureaucratic workplace and one which did not. He concluded that both still shared very similar forms of working.I agree with what Grey is saying here as if you walk into a workplace today such as a factory the methods of management are still evident of the bureaucracy model and yes there is some evidence of post-bureaucracy but not enough to claim its a new era of post-bureaucracy. On the theme of change management Grey (2009) argues that is around always fails. He supports his claim using the example of total property management (TQM) which is implemented for the first time in a accepted industry. One organisation may adopt it and then others will see it and decide to adopt it to.Now no one has a comp etitive advantage and there is a conveyer effect where by the companies now demand a new method and therefore change. This claim by Grey in my opinion is correct change management doesnt work as for it to work something has to be applicable from one industry to another(prenominal) but change management fails at this. Grey (2009) however does admit that post-bureaucracy and change management cannot be ignored and that it is a huge procedure of society today as they have a huge shield over the managerial role in todays world. Grey (2009) tells us how the post-bureaucracy and change management attract huge attention in the media today.He gives us the example of policies past by the British Government in which all are based on post-bureaucracy. Grey (2009) says how it is now mistaken that for an economy to do well it must be purged of bureaucracy and dissipate to change. I agree with what he has said here all we here about in todays news is the need to change everything and for rul es and regulations to be got rid of. However all we have to look at is the current economic climate to show us what happened when there was less bureaucracy and lots of change. People took advantage of it and we are now stuck in a recession for a number of years because of it.To show what sporting capitalism is Grey (2009) uses the United Kingdom as an example and many of the companies within it such as Jaguar, P&O and Body sell what all these companies have in common is they once used to be British owned now however they are owned by worldwide companies or consortia. This shows us how Britain has taken on the idea of debased capitalism this however can lead to problems whereby the international companies who buy these little firms most of the time only see the financial value of them and not what the company may offer to a community with generations of families who have worked in the same business.This can lead to employees not feeling the need to work as hard as now they are working for an international company and therefore in my opinion inefficiency will begin to take place. The argument that dissolute capitalism is failing and problematic is put forward by Grey (2009) using the example of the bank Northern contention who began by simply taking in deposits from savers and lending to borrowers for house purchases. In 1997 they choose a new more risky route whereby they increase money by through short term borrowing on financial markets.They also began to give loans to those who had poor credit history and they didnt take in their account to pay them back. This was all well and good until 2007 when poor credit risks and the inability to get short term monetary resource caused the bank to nearly collapse with customers going to the banks to take out all their money. The bank was then nationalised in 2008. This story shows me how prompt capitalism failed as those who ran Northern Rock tried to adopt a new demeanor of management and thought within th e business to keep up with fast moving capitalism and in the long run their ideas failed leaving the customers and shareh sure-enough(a)s to assemble greatly.Grey (2009) puts forward the argument that management is ending. He explores this idea using a number of examples. The example which explores it best is the one about the study he carried out with a number of colleagues on a set of managers. They interviewed them and no(prenominal) of them described themselves as managers. When ask why they didnt they all said it was an overused word which didnt denote any real seniority in todays workforce and secondly they felt the word had a meaning of someone who was inflexible and bureaucratic. This was not to say the end of management just it has become a somewhat meaningless word.The final thought Grey (2009) has on this is that managers might be coming to an end but management itself is not and it is constantly evolving and I whole heartedly agree with this point that it is simply cha nging constantly. Overall I feel that the themes in Greys book A Very Short Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book about Studying Organisations (2009) which range from looking at bureaucracy and scientific management together to his views on human relations theory (HRT) and its links with people management and the theme of organization culture and post-bureaucracy and how it is effecting change management.To the final one which I have explored fast capitalism and end management have provided me with an insight into Greys thoughts on management and the arguments he has put forward about it. I also feeling my reading of this book has allowed me to relate it where applicable to Wren and Bedeians The Evolution of Management Thought (2009) and allowed me to compare some of the older views on management within this book to the more modern ones explored by Grey. However I do believe that Greys book is far more concise than Wren and Bedeians which I feel is too long winded and less in teresting than Greys.Bibliography Grey, C. (2009). A Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap Book about Studying Organizations. London, Sage. Delbridge, R. (1998) Life on the Line in Contemporary Manufacturing Oxford Oxford University Press, Ogbonna, E. and Wilkinson, B. (1988) merged Strategy and Corporate Culture The View from the Checkout Personnel Review, Vol. 19 Iss 4, pp. 9 15 Wren, Daniel A . Bedeian Arthur G. December 2008, 2009. The Evolution of Management Thought. sixth Edition. USA John Wiley & Sons Inc.