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Abstract
The study examines the various principles of Taylor's Scientific Management theory and the challenges that the theory faces in modern times. Taylor proposed four main principles of scientific management. The principles are as follows: development of a true science, the scientific selection of the workman, the workman's scientific education and development and the intimate relationship between the management and the men. Essentially, Taylor attempted to zero in on the efficiency of the workman at the work place. He intimated that scientific methods were indispensable in improving the efficiency of the workman. He averred further that the profitability of any business organization depended on the efficiency of the workman. Nevertheless, Taylor faced a number of challenges and setbacks in his propositions.
Keywords: Scientific Management, Taylorism, Task Allocation, Dehumanization
Introduction
It is important to understand where the organization of work is headed. Therefore, we examine the development of Taylorism in this regard. It is also critical to determine whether Taylor's paradigm is superseded by a new paradigm or if it is simply being modified. This paper explores the logic in Taylor's theory of scientific management, and the challenges that face the continuity of the application of the theory.
The central theme of Taylorism is focused on the delinking of conception from execution (Evangelopoulos, 201 1; Blake & Moseley, 201 1). Managers achieve this through application of three principles. The first principle of scientific management entails the decoupling of the labor process from the skills of the workmen. The managers assume the burden of bringing together all of the traditional knowledge which in the past was possessed by the workmen. They then classify, tabulate, and streamline this knowledge into formulae, rules and laws that are scientific in nature (Blake & Moseley, 201 1; Zuffo, 2011; Pruijt, 2003).
The second principle prescribes that all possible analytical brain work should be aimed at planning or layout department (Wren, 2011; Pruijt, 2003). The third principle explains that the management team should not rely on the workers to decide how they carry out their tasks. Instead, the management should define exactly how rapidly the tasks must be executed and completed (Prujit, 2003). The context in which these principles are located is in logistical streamlining and standardization of components (Paton, 2013;...