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Taylorism

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Submitted By terroz
Words 1816
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Topic 1: Scientific Management

How was Taylorism received outside the USA? Contrast the reception of Taylorism in two different countries, one western, one Asian, in your answer.

Introduction

Before looking in to whether scientific management has always been successful outside of USA, there is a need to look at scientific management when Frederick W. Taylor first introduced it in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Started experimenting at Midvale Steel Company where he tried to improve the efficiency of the workers for increased productivity, he has then already faced the problems and critics of his scientific management that it is still facing today. This includes the time study of work to define the optimal standards for workers while using stopwatches and other devices; critics are against this as they feel the method in measuring performance violates the fair treatment of workers. While it is safe to say that Taylor was a central figure in the development of management thought where his emphasis on efficiency using scientific management, it must be stressed that many others who have applied it, has also adapt and refine additional methods to suit their needs contribute to the success of scientific management (Wren & Bedeian 2009).

This paper seeks to discuss how Taylorism is received outside USA as well as compare and contrast the receptivity of Taylorism in Russia and Japan.

The global spread and development of Taylorism in the 1950s and 1960s greatly enhanced productivity levels, worldwide. During the 1950s and 1960s Taylorism finally spread widely outside the United States, and constituted the principal microeconomic force driving globalisation. In Europe, where craft traditions remained deeply rooted until after World War II, the development of scientific management and mass production constituted the microeconomic foundation for the development

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