Taylor looked at the scientific aspect of organisational management. He saw it as ‘the division of labour between worker and manager, making it the manager’s job to produce scientific studies of tasks’ David Knights, 2012.He believed it allowed the managers to have closer monitoring and control of the workers and means of production, …show more content…
The piecework pay system reduced overpayments creating incentives for workers to produce more, resulting into getting paid more. Organisational practises have adapted Taylor’s pay per piece rate and developed other payment motivations, such as, staff rewards schemes such as bonus, internal and external discounts.
However there are disadvantages to using Taylor’s theory. It is argued that methods used put constant pressure on employees, in extreme cases lead to suicides and people quitting their jobs, even though they needed the money. A report in 2012, as regards Foxconn, a Chinese electronic production company for iconic labels such as, Apple, Sony and Nintendo states that ‘five per cent of workers, or 24,000 people, quit every month. Moore, M., 2012.
In 2010 Foxconn’s employees said, conditions were unbearable and they were forced to work extra hours every day which were above and beyond those allowed by employment legislations. Employees compared operations to being like a military culture, with constant abuse from superiors. Peter A. Stanwick, …show more content…
I think that Mayo’s Hawthorne theory is best suited to the needs of modern society. It also matches what employees now expect from their place of work with regard to working conditions and personal aspiration. The theory when put into practise encourages an individual to be motivated and contributes to the overall success of the organisation; since Taylor’s scientific management theory now feels outdated and inhumane.
In progressive companies having employees operate in a safe working environment with their general health and wellbeing monitored is seen as an essential requirement for the employees and managers to do their jobs effectively; reducing absences, mistakes and stress in the workplace. Showing interest in employee’s development will encourage a reduction of employee turnover, increase a want, need and desire to continue their work with the company. I think that Taylor’s scientific theory tends to make employees unhappy, feel undervalued and encourages staff to leave, which in turn increases time and costs spent on recruiting and training new