Frederick Winslow Taylor: The Father of Scientific Management

Frederick Winslow Taylor: The “Father of Scientific Management”

Introduction

This paper is in response to the assignment for a paper and short speech

concerning a person with relevant contributions to the world of management.

Frederick Taylor is affectionately referred to as the “Father of Scientific

Management.” The modern systems of manufacturing and management would not be

the examples of efficiency that they are today, without the work of Taylor.

Frederick Taylor was instrumental in bringing industry out of the dark ages by

beginning to revolutionize the way work was approached. Taylor was able to

increase wages, productivity and reduce per piece costs at the same time.

Taylor's work was eventually adopted in a wide array of applications. Taylor's

ideas had a significant influence on the industrial life of all modernized

countries. Even Lenin went as far as to publish an article in Pravda , “Raising

the Productivity of Labour,” based on the writings of Taylor. Thus Taylor

changed the way the world conducted business. Taylor's work was an extension

of technology. It was a marriage of human work and technology. His Priniciples

of Scientifiic Management was conceived to be free of value judgement.

The Younger Years

Frederick W. Taylor was born into a well-to-do family in Philadelphia in

1856 . His family was not wealthy , but they were well exposed to the high

culture of the local society. Growing up it was expected that Taylor would

study to become an attorney. Taylor attended Phillips-Exeter Academy. He was a

devout student, doing very well with his studies. To achieve good grades,

Taylor studied many long hours. It was quite unfortunate that Taylor was to

miss Harvard Law School due to bad eyes that doctors attrributed to studying in

the poor light of a kerosene lamp. In later years it was realized that his eye

problem was actually caused by stress, as it improved after he left Phillips.

Taylor moved back home after graduating from Phillips. He realized that he

should take up a trade and got a job as an apprentice machinist and pattern

maker. Having spent four years learning his trade, Taylor got a job as a yard

laborer at Midvale Steel Company.

Taylor realized that at this point he needed to continue his education.

He convinced the people at Stevens Institute of Technology to allow him to

attend classes long distance. He would study in his spare time in Philadelphia

and go to the school in New Jersey to take his exams. In June of 1883, Taylor

graduated with a Mechanical Engineering degree. He subsequently joined the

American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).