Efficiency in the Workplace- Informal Post

This reading intrigued me a lot because it involves efficiency in business which is a lot more like my major then some other topics we have discussed. In The Principles of Scientific Management the author talks a lot about improving already existing work conditions and improving their output.

There is a lot of emphasis put on how when men are grouped together they will often cohort and work with each other to all do their work slower then they would normally work individually. “A careful analysis had demonstrated the fact that when workmen are herded together in gangs, each man in the gang becomes far less efficient than when his personal ambition is stimulated.”

No one is willing to put more effort or time into their job then the person next to them doing the same job because they will all get the same pay at the end of the week. “Why should I work hard when that lazy fellow gets the same pay that I do and does only half as much work?”

Taylor also stresses the importance of management treating their employees properly and with respect. He drives home the importance of the relationship between employer and employee. “But it also shows that in the application of the most elementary principles it is necessary for the management to do their share of the work in cooperating with the workmen.” Management must be positive that the plan they are tying to implement will be better then the one they are trying to replace. Their employees must have confidence that if they change they will increase their overall happiness and salary. “A reward, if it is to be effective in stimulating men to do their best work, must come soon after the work has been done.”

The concepts that Taylor describes have been put to use in many industries and fields and has been proven to increase productivity and often decrease cost of production.