Productivity Improvement: from technical to social phenomenon
F.W. Taylor’s scientific management (1911) is a rigorous analysis of input, output & cost aim to improve productivity by harmonize management & labor. He concerned about company’s health showed by productivity, and harmony showed by distribution of income. Although his aim is workers’ goodness, but his mechanical approach of company and worker made him see there is only ‘one best method’. It makes him enemy of the workers.
Taylor’s division of work is principal of scientific management, which leads to ergonomics, specialization and efficiency, but also leads to monotonous work & workers’ dissatisfaction since workers unable to see the end product & directly associated himself to the creation. Taylor’s one best method is a quest for Frank & Lilian Gilbert’ time & motion study. They introduce Work Cycle, Work Simplification & Systematization, and Process Flow Chart.
Elton Mayo through Hawthorne investigation found that productivity is a social phenomenon, not only technical / methodology problem. Fellowship of management & worker, cooperation & teamwork, self respect, sense of belonging, task identification & recognition are important to workers’ productivity. Further, Hawthorne study leads to the emergence of Participative Management & Leadership promoted by Robert Owen (called as 1st Enlighted Manager) & Mary Follet.
She found that Laissez-faire & Directive Management bring less productivity compared to Participative Management. Participative approach which essentially democratic, success simply because it provide what is needed in productive social environment and worker’s personality.
