People
Who was the founder of scientific management?
Frederick Taylor
What would be a good way to encourage productivity in the workplace?
Incentives such as higher wages.
How do consumers benefit from implementing scientific management?
Measures of standardization and effective supervision result in better quality products for consumers.
Why is scientific management not suitable for small businesses?
It is not suitable because it requires an investment of huge capital.
How is the productivity of UPS's sorters at regional centers measured?
Sorters are timed according to strict task requirements and are expected to load vans at a set number of packages per hour.
Which career did the founder have that resulted in him becoming well known for his management methods?
He earned his master's degree in mechanical engineering and eventually became an independent consulting engineer to management.
When it comes to completing a task, who should be responsible for getting it done?
The work should be divided almost evenly between management and workers.
How do investors benefit from implementing scientific management?
The increased productivity leads to enhanced profits for investors.
What makes scientific management costly?
The establishment of work-study, planning, training of workers, and standardization require money.
What is an example of an incentive that McDonald's uses?
They provide rewards in many forms such as employee of the month.
Alongside the founder, who else conducted similar research about how movement and motion affected productivity?
The Gilbreths
What did the founder recommend to be done if the worker is not performing according to standards even after adequate training?
He suggested that the worker should be shifted to another area of work to focus on another element of the task.
How do workers' well-being benefit from scientific management?
It encourages better working conditions which include proper working hours followed by breaks, adequate lighting, ventilation, and other safety measures.
Scientific management involves the use of the latest technology, why is this a disadvantage?
People tend to be replaced by machines to improve productivity, which results in unemployment.
UPS keeps track of how many keystrokes are entered by workers. They found that reducing one keystroke per driver per day saves the company how much money yearly?
It saves them $100 000 per year.
What did the Gilbreths use to conduct their research and how did they use it?
They used films to analyze worker activity. They would record the time it took to complete one element of a task and they used these films to create training videos.
What is the best time to give rewards to employees and why?
Rewards should be given soon after the work has been done because workers lose motivation if rewards come too far in the future.
How does technology play a part in scientific management?
With the help of mechanization and the latest technology, production increases, and cost per unit is considerably reduced.
Why is scientific management considered to be time-consuming?
It is time-consuming because it requires complete reorganizing and mental revision of the organization.
How does McDonald's incorporate specialized training staff?
In 1961, they founded Hamburger University, which is a training facility that instructs managers and owner-operators.
How did the founder and the Gilbreths' views on scientific management differ?
The founder's emphasis was on profitability and productivity, whereas the Gilbreths also focused on worker welfare and motivation.
What is it meant by "developing a science?"
It means that management should gather objective data on work, perform experiments, and standardize policies and procedures based on the results of the experiments.
Scientific management encourages healthy management-worker relationships, why are these important?
This helps avoid disputes and allows both management and workers to focus on the tasks that need to be done.
Picking employees very carefully based on their skills and abilities can be a disadvantage in what way?
It can be more time-consuming to pick employees this way.
How does McDonald's implement the key principle of smoothing the way as workers go about their jobs?
McDonald's makes sure that the ingredients to make the food items are strategically placed, which reduces time and limits motion by workers.