systematization of management, and the regulation and control of production. Principles Taylorism is concerned with the control of labour process.
Basic management principles
Developing a science for each element of work. Scientific selection and training of worker. Co-operation between management and workers to ensure that the work is done according to the science. Equal division of work and responsibility between management and workers; each side doing what it is best for. Ideology and Practice Extensive work measurement to pre-determine task; The employment of cheaper, deskilled and substitutable labour in more fragmented jobs, A large increase in the number of non- productive employees to enforce, monitor and record new work arrangements and functional foremanship that subdivided traditional responsibilities Involved reporting to the-all powerful planning department. Weber and Administrative Theories of Management Taylor provided a system of detailed control over work, aided by a set of bureaucratic rules
Weber focuses more on the remote and
impersonal qualities of a bureaucracy. The Employment Relationship
The office is a vocation and a full time undertaking.
Officials are selected on a basis of technical qualification, education and expertise. There is separation of office and office holder It is not his or her property and the employee does not possess the ,means of administration. Thorough and expert training is part of the conditions of employment. Work is rewarded by a regular salary and prospects of advancement in a lifetime career. A career is based on the organisational hierarchy. Officials are selected by higher authorities and are not externally elected. Work Structures and Relations Hierarchy of offices. Division of labour based on defined responsibilities, rights and duties. Calculable rules and regulations, impersonal modes of conduct and a common control system govern the conduct of work. Written documentation functions as a function of management of the office. The Rise of Bureaucratisation Control and its Contradictions As bureaucracy developed within companies, companies adopted hierarchy structures that divide and conquer. Long term identification with the company can be built through positive incentives such as job security and career structure. As the work processes, outputs and skills becomes more standardised, behaviour can be formalised and regulated. Bureaucratic organisations not only benefit the management but also the employees as their pay and benefits structures become more well defined. The Rise of Bureaucratisation Control and its Contradictions However certain shortcomings of Weber's bureaucratic system is that the standardisation and predictability could lead to the employees adopting a rigid and defensive behaviour. Resistance to innovation is one of the possible consequences. Sometimes, employees could bend or break certain rules in order to get things done more effectively since rationality still exists. Scientific Management and Bureaucratic Work Rules Taylorism and bureaucracy though sharply disputed, have nonetheless shaped the modern practices and society. Many companies and organisations have incorporated Taylorist methods in one form or the other where rules are most often the heart of the process. Strength of Taylorist and Bureaucratic Systems Increase efficiency of production Motivation by Self Interest Employee Awareness Greater Efficiency and Standardisation Better Control Weaknesses of Taylorist and Bureaucratic Systems Poor relationship between management and employees Create a gulf in communication between management and employees Destroys the informal relationship within groups Creates contradictions Conclusion Taylorism and Bureaucracy have influenced the workings of modern organisations deeply. Different organisations might have different versions of Taylorism but the basic principles employed are more or less the same. Both Taylorism and bureaucracy failed to address the human and social aspects of the work structures. THE END