In today’s competitive environment improving efficiency and elevating organisational
performance is critically important to remain competitive in the global marketplace. In
the late nineteenth century Frederick W. Taylor developed one of the earliest
conceptions of management in order to maximise firm productivity. He argued that
performance can only be improved by the application of scientific practices and
established his ‘principles of scientific management’ (Taylor, 1998). However, due to
the Human Relations movement in the 1930s which emphasised the impact of the social
context of the workplace on firm productivity, Taylor’s theory of ‘scientific
management’ became obsolete (Legge, 2005; Thompson & McHugh, 2009).
Conversely, many researchers believe that Taylorism is revived and argue that
Tayloristic ideologies are still dominant in workplaces today (Bain et al., 2002; Bell &
Martin, 2012; Braverman, 1998). More importantly, the continuing relevance of
Tayloristic methods in organising work is no longer restricted to the traditional
manufacturing industry, but can also be found to a greater degree in the rapidly growing
service industry (Braverman, 1998; Crowley et al., 2010). In this context, most notably
the nature of work processes in telephone call centres (Taylor et al., 2002; Zapf et al.,
2003) and the fast food industry (Ritzer, 1996 & 1998) has aroused a great deal of
attention. For instance, a BBC News article raises the question “Are call centres the
factories of the 21st Century?” (Hudson, 2011) and thus underpins the controversial
debate about the working conditions in call centres. Accordingly, it is worthwhile to
scrutinise this argument in more detail. With that said, the objective of this essay is to
critically appraise the statement ‘Tayloristic work practices are a thing of the past” in
the context of the growth of the services organisations. First, in order to set the scene for
the examination of this proposition, the concept of ‘Taylorism’ will be outlined. After
that, by means of primarily call centre organisations, and fast food restaurants,
occurrence of Tayloristic work practices in the service sector will be investigated.
Finally, based on these expositions, the main findings will be summarised and
evaluated. [...]
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The concept of Taylorism
3. Tayloristic work practices in the service sector
3.1 Call centres as the factories of the 21st Century
3.2 The fast food industry and McDonaldisation
4. Conclusion
Objectives & Themes
The primary objective of this essay is to critically appraise the statement that "Tayloristic work practices are a thing of the past" by examining their continued relevance and application within modern service organisations.
- Historical evolution of scientific management principles
- Application of Taylorism in modern call centre operations
- Analysis of work processes in the fast food industry
- The emergence of "Neo-Taylorism" in the service sector
- Impact of technology on managerial control and employee discretion
Excerpt from the book
To begin with, Taylor assumed that there is ‘one best way’ of organising work and hence believed in ‘clearly defined rules, laws and principles” (1998:iv). In order to examine the presence of Tayloristic work practices in the service industry, it is essential to understand the main underlying assumptions of Taylorism. For that reason, the four principles of scientific management will be presented as follows. First, the old ‘rule of thumb’ techniques need to be replaced by application of scientific methods for each element of work. Fragmentation and specialisation of job tasks are key elements in this context. Secondly, scientific selection of the right people for the appropriate task and their subsequent training play a crucial role to ensure high performance and represent another obligation of the management. The reason for this lies in Taylor’s belief that differences between employees exist in terms of work efficiency. The third principle highlights the required cooperation between management and workers to ensure compliance with the developed scientific principles. Lastly, complete separation of conception and execution and thus a strict division of labour constitutes another core feature of scientific management (Knights & Willmott, 2012; Littler, 1982). In Taylor’s view, managers are responsible for the planning and organisation of work. Workers, on the other hand, have to carry out the manual work in the form of narrow, routinised tasks. To ensure their abidance of procedures laid down by management, close managerial monitoring and controlling of each step of the labour process is vital (Boreham, 2003, in Boreham et al., 2003; Knights & Willmott, 2012). In this context, Braverman (1998) refers to a monopolisation of knowledge by management which was used to specify and control each segment of the work process. In a more critical vein, Sheldrake (2003:23) points out that Taylorism aimed “to analyse and control activities of people in the same way that engineers analysed and controlled machines”.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter contextualises the relevance of management theories and presents the research objective regarding the contemporary status of Tayloristic work practices.
2. The concept of Taylorism: This section details the historical four principles of scientific management and the underlying assumptions regarding human motivation and labour division.
3. Tayloristic work practices in the service sector: This chapter investigates the implementation of scientific management within modern service environments, focusing on the standardization of labor.
3.1 Call centres as the factories of the 21st Century: This section explores how call centres utilize monitoring technologies and rigid performance targets to mirror industrial production lines.
3.2 The fast food industry and McDonaldisation: This section examines how fast food chains enforce standardized workflows and efficiency measures, similar to classic Tayloristic factory models.
4. Conclusion: This chapter synthesizes the findings, arguing that while Taylorism has evolved into "Neo-Taylorism" due to technological advancements, its core elements remain prevalent.
Keywords
Taylorism, Scientific Management, Service Sector, Call Centres, Fast Food Industry, McDonaldisation, Labour Process, Managerial Control, Employee Discretion, Neo-Taylorism, Task Fragmentation, Performance Measurement, Technological Surveillance, Efficiency, Work Standardization.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this research paper?
The paper fundamentally investigates whether the classical management theories developed by Frederick W. Taylor in the late nineteenth century remain relevant in today's modern service-based economy.
What are the central thematic fields covered?
The core themes include the principles of scientific management, the operational structure of service organizations like call centers and fast food chains, and the evolving relationship between management control and technology.
What is the primary research goal?
The primary goal is to critically evaluate the claim that Tayloristic practices are obsolete by demonstrating their continued, albeit adapted, presence in contemporary work environments.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The work utilizes a literature-based critical appraisal, synthesizing existing research and case studies from various scholars to investigate the application of Taylorism in the service sector.
What topics are addressed in the main body?
The main body covers the historical definition of Taylorism, the specific operational characteristics of call centers, the concept of McDonaldisation in the fast food industry, and the impact of electronic monitoring on employees.
Which keywords define the work?
Key terms include Taylorism, Neo-Taylorism, service sector, task fragmentation, managerial surveillance, and employee discretion.
How does technology contribute to the modernization of Taylorism?
Technology enables more precise electronic monitoring and data collection, allowing managers to maintain strict control over employee performance, which characterizes the "Neo-Taylorism" described in the text.
What role does gender play in call center workforce composition?
The study notes a high concentration of young, female employees in call centers, a shift from the traditional male blue-collar worker demographic, often driven by managerial assumptions about social competencies.
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- Anna Jung (Autor:in), 2013, "Tayloristic work practices are a thing of the past", München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/268119
