Critically evaluate the extent to which Frederick W Taylor's notion of Essay

Critically evaluate the extent to which Frederick W Taylor's notion of Scientific Management has had a lasting impact on management thinking and practice with - Essay Example Taylorism is an amusing and handy way to describe a sort of ruthless and quasi-Victorian efficiency that melds man with machine, often to mans disadvantage. However, Taylor did not intend it to be this way. He developed scientific management with good intentions to lighten the load of manual workers. Taylor also wishes to minimize waste in time, energy and abilities of worker as well as assuage poverty. But if his rigid methods fall into the hands of a brutal employer the results are often not to be desired and are contradictory to what his real intentions are. Thus the word Taylorism was born (Scientific Management 2008). In Taylor (2004, pp.3-4) own words â€Å"The art of management has been defined ‘as knowing exactly what you want men to do and then seeing that they do it in the best and cheapest way’; also, ‘the principal object of management should be to secure the maximum prosperity for the employer coupled with the maximum prosperity for each employee’. He adds that ‘scientific management has for its very foundation the firm conviction that the true interests of the two are one of the same; that prosperity for the employer cannot exist through a long term of years unless it is accompanied by prosperity for the employee, and vice versa; and that it is possible to give the worker what he most wants – high wages – and the employer what he wants – a low labor cost – for his manufactures†. Taking this definition the original objective of Taylor with scientific management is to benefit not only the employer but the employee as well. From his book it is clear that he view both the employee and employer as two entities that need to work hand in hand to be able to achieve the main goal of profiting from the business. Not only that but also need each other to accomplish their individual goals of high wages and low cost of production. Whether his principles were used properly or erroneously his impact in management were long-lasting. Since ideals