Innovations & Impact of Frederick W. Taylor

The problem with Nelson's book is that it does not make the entire argument the author sets out to make. We certainly come away from this book deeply aware of Taylor's important and revolutionary contributions to the development of modern industry and management. However, it is undeniable that, whatever Taylor's intentions, he helped develop a realm which exploited workers and benefitted the rich elite of which he was a part. Taylor may not have been a ruthless man himself, but the industry he helped develop was ruthless in its mistreatment of the worker. Nelson is trying to manipulate the thought of the reader when he argues that we should measure Taylor's contributions only on the basis of "the essen

. . .
es led him to side with management. Also, many of his contributions certainly aided the work of the laborer: In the 1880s, . . . the majority of his inventions pertained to the operation of metal-cutting machines. They included a tool grinder, a machine tool table, a chuck, a tool-feeding device for lathes, a work carrier for lathes, a boring-bar puppet, and two boring and turning mills (37). Beyond the practical advances these mechanical innovations brought, they also led in a sense to scientific management: "Taylor, the consummate engineer, soon discovered that technical advance demanded organizational innovations of comparable significance" (37). Despite his unsupported argument that Taylor was more of a friend to the worker than other writers have claimed, Nelson himself writes that "Taylor adopted the authoritarian style characteristic of late-nineteenth-century executives" (39). Taylor's incentive wage program, says Nelson "would ultimately make him the most famous---and controversial---engineer of his time" (39). Again, this incentive approach is in use in sweatshops still today. Nelson writes that "despite widespread resentment of his fining system, most Midvale workers respected him and his work" (39). The question is
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Taylor Taylor, Evaluating Taylor's, Scientific Management, Nelson Taylor, Eastern European, Steel Encountering, Taylor Nelson, scientific management, taylor's contributions, scientific management taylor, Wisconsin Press, increase productivity, contributions development, management taylor, Taylor Rise, Frederick Taylor, taylor rise scientific, approach taylor, benefitted rich, incentive wage, rise scientific management, productivity management, industrialization productivity, viewer comes perspective, industrialization productivity management,
Approximate Word count = 1746
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Innovations & Impact of Frederick W. Taylor