t of the nineteenth century. Here, doing things the "right" way to maximize productivity was emphasized. Frederick Taylor, a l9th century mechanical engineer, had great influence during this time. The "Taylor Model" advocated a system of factory management, many aspects of which are still used today (Kidd, 1994, p. 107). This system was based on the vertical division of labor with the separation of thinking and doing and the centralization of all decision making. Taylor believed that all workers should be told exactly what to do and that their working methods should be standardized. In this model, only one best way of doing work could be scientifically established. This system required functional specialization and unfortunately results in treating human beings in a very narrow and mechanical way. It maximizes control over all aspects of work taking place within the enterprise and imposes strict hierarchical control.
Today, society is undergoing another change because of the rapid movement of technology and its influence upon even the most basic elements of people's lives. Certainly in the modern production environment, the effects of the rapid changes in technology are being most keenly observed. Production methods in many industries have changed beyond recognition, new materials
and technologies are being introduced daily, and the labor content of products continues to fall dramatically. Today, people are far more dependent on machinery and plants than ever before. In the United States, the average worker needs to be retrained every five to seven years. Traditional skills are becoming obsolete largely because they must be unlearned to best cope with rapid change and the ability to adapt to these changes.
Throughout the immediate post World War II decades (1950-1980), the United States dominated industrial manufacturing. U.S. manufacturing industries were dominated by the "mass production" model (and mentality). U.S. factor...