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Unit Three

Scientific Management

Scientific management does not necessarily involve any great invention, nor the discovery of new or startling facts. It does, however, involve a certain combination of elements which have not existed in the past, namely, old knowledge so collected, analyzed, grouped and classified into laws and rules that it constitutes a science; accompanied by a complete change in the mental attitude of the working men as well as of those on the side of the management, toward each other, and toward their respective duties and responsibilities. Also, a new division of the duties between the two sides and intimate, friendly cooperation to an extent that is impossible under the philosophy of the old management. And even all of this in many cases could not exist without the help of mechanisms which have been gradually developed.

It is no single element, but rather this whole combination, that constitutes scientific management, which may be summarized as:

Science, not rule of thumb.

Harmony, not discord.

Cooperation, not individualism.

Maximum output, in place of restricted output.

The development of each man to his greatest efficiency and prosperity.

The writer wishes to again state that: “The time is fast going by for the great personal or individual achievement of any one man standing alone and without the help of those around him. And the time is coming when all great things will be done by that type of cooperation in which each man performs the function for which he is best suited, each man preserves his own individuality and is supreme in his particular function, and each man at the same time loses none of his originality and proper personal initiative, and yet is controlled by and must work harmoniously with many other men. ”

The examples given above of the increase in output realized under the new management fairly represent the gain which is possible. They do not represent extraordinary or exceptional cases, and have been selected from among thousands of similar illustrations which might have been given.

Let us now examine the good which would follow the general adoption of these principles.

The larger profit would come to the whole world in general.

The greatest material gain which those of the present generation have over past generations has come from the fact that the average man in this generation, with a given expenditure of effort, is producing two times, three times, even four times as much of those things that are of use to man as it was possible for the average man in the past to produce. This increase in the productivity of human effort is, of course, due to many causes, besides the increase in the personal dexterity of the man. It is due to the discovery of steam and electricity, to the introduction of machinery, to inventions, great and small, and to the progress in science and education. But from whatever cause this increase in productivity has come, it is to the greater productivity of each individual that the whole country owes its greater prosperity.

Those who are afraid that a large increase in the productivity of each workman will throw other men out of work, should realize that the one element more than any other which differentiates civilized from uncivilized countries prosperous from poverty-stricken peoples—is that the average man in the one is five or six times as productive as the other. It is also a fact that the chief cause for the large percentage of the unemployed in England (perhaps the most virile nation in the world), is that the workmen of England, more than in any other civilized country, are deliberately restricting their output because they are possessed by the fallacy that it is against their best interest for each man to work as hard as he can.

The general adoption of scientific management would readily in the future double the productivity of the average man engaged in industrial work. Think of what this means to the whole country. Think of the increase, both in the necessities and luxuries of life, which becomes available for the whole country, of the possibility of shortening the hours of labor when this is desirable, and of the increased opportunities for education, culture, and recreation which this implies. But while the whole world would profit by this increase in production, the manufacturer and the workman will be far more interested in the especial local gain that comes to them and to the people immediately around them. Scientific management will mean, for the employers and the workmen who adopt it — and particularly for those who adopt it first — the elimination of almost all causes for dispute and disagreement between them. What constitutes a fair day's work will be a question for scientific investigation, instead of a subject to be bargained and haggled over. Soldiering will cease because the object for soldiering will no longer exist. The great increase in wages which accompanies this type of management will largely eliminate the wage question as a source of dispute. But more than all other causes, the close, intimate cooperation, the constant personal contact between the two sides, will tend to diminish friction and discontent. It is difficult for two people whose interests are the same, and who work side by side in accomplishing the same object, all day long, to keep up a quarrel.

The low cost of production which accompanies a doubling of the output will enable the companies who adopt this management, particularly those who adopt it first, to compete far better than they were able to before, and this will so enlarge their markets that their men will have almost constant work even in dull times, and that they will earn larger profits at all times.

This means increase in prosperity and diminution in poverty, not only for their men but for the whole community immediately around them.

As one of the elements incident to this great gain in output, each workman has been systematically trained to his highest state of efficiency, and has been taught to do a higher class of work than he was able to do under the old types of management; and at the same time he has acquired a friendly mental attitude toward his employers and his whole working conditions, whereas before a considerable part of his time was spent in criticism, suspicious watchfulness, and sometimes in open warfare. This direct gain to all of those working under the system is without doubt the most important single element in the whole problem.

Is not the realization of results such as these of far more importance than the solution of most of the problems which are now agitating both the English and American peoples? And is it not the duty of those who are acquainted with these facts, to exert themselves to make the whole community realize this importance?

Key Words and Terms

startling adj. 令人吃惊的,不寻常的

respective adj. 各自的,分别的

division n. 分开,划分,分割,分配,分派

intimate n. 至交;密友

cooperation n. 合作;协作;协助;配合

discord n. 不和;不调和;嘈杂声

individuality n. 个人;个性;个人特征

individualism n. 个人主义,利己主义;自由放任主义

supreme adj. 最高的;至高的,无上的;最重要的;(程度)很大的

originality n. 独创性,创造性;匠心;独到之处;新颖

extraordinary adj. 非凡的,特别的;意外的,离奇的;临时的

exceptional adj. 优越的;杰出的;例外的;独特的

illustration n. 说明;例证;图解;插图

dexterity n. 灵巧;熟练;敏捷;聪敏

steam n. 蒸汽,雾

restricted adj. 有受限制的;(土地)对公众不完全开放的;保密的

prosperity n. 繁荣;兴旺,昌盛;成功

prosperous adj. 繁荣的,兴旺的;富裕的;幸福的,运气好的

civilized adj. 文明的;非野蛮的;有礼貌的;有教养的

initiative n. 主动性;主动精神;倡议;主动权

virile adj. 有男子气概的;有生殖力的;强壮的;刚健的

fallacy n. 谬误,谬见;谬论;错误

luxuries n. 奢侈(luxury的名词复数);豪华;奢侈品

recreation n. 消遣(方式);娱乐(方式);重建,重现

elimination n. 排除;除去;根除;淘汰

soldiering n. 磨洋工

enlarge v. 扩大,放大;扩展,扩充;拉长说,详述

diminution n. 减小,减少,缩减

agitate v. 搅动,摇动;使不安;激烈讨论

NOTES

1. be classified into 被分为,归类为

2. be accompanied by 陪伴,伴同

3. rule of thumb 凭经验而来的方法,经验法则

4. in general 通常,大体上

5. throw other men out of work 将其他人排除在工作之外,也就是使一些人失业

6. haggle over 斤斤计较,无理取闹

7. side by side 肩并肩地,一起;相互支持;并排

8. keep up 保持,跟上,继续

9. in dull times 在无聊的时候

10. poverty-stricken adj. 为贫穷所困恼的,非常贫穷的;窘迫

11. be acquainted with 熟悉,认识,了解

12. exert oneself to 努力,奋斗

Comprehensive Exercises

Ⅰ. Questions about the Text

1. What is composed of scientific management?

2. What is the good after the adoption of the principles of scientific management according to this article?

3. What is the chief cause for the large percentage of the unemployed in England according to this paper?

4. What causes the increase in the productivity and which one is the most important according to this article?

Ⅱ. Discussion

How did the scientific management replace the experience management which was also called the old management in this article?

Ⅲ. Translation the following paragraph into Chinese

The first great advantage which scientific management has over the management of initiative and incentive is that under scientific management the initiative of the workman—that is, their hard work, their good will, their ingenuity—is obtained practically with absolute regularity, while under even the best of the older type of management this initiative is only obtained spasmodically and somewhat irregularly. This obtaining, however, of the initiative of the workmen is the lesser of the two great causes which make scientific management better for both sides than the older type of management. By far the greater gain under scientific management comes from the new, the very great, and the extraordinary burdens and duties which are voluntary assumed by those on the management.

作者简介与经典导读

《科学管理原理》是美国管理学家弗雷德里克·泰勒(1856—1915)的代表作,他也因此被称为“科学管理之父”。泰勒,1856年出生于美国费城的一个富裕的律师家庭,子承父业,泰勒在中学毕业后以优异的成绩考入了哈佛大学法律系,但因为严重的眼疾而辍学。后来有专门研究泰勒的学者分析,可能法学与从小就心灵手巧并善于动手的泰勒的爱好相差甚远,进入哈佛之后,心理上对法律学习的抗拒导致他产生了严重的眼疾,使得他望子成龙的父亲不得不同意泰勒辍学的决定。之后,泰勒进入费城的米德维尔钢铁厂当机械工人。从养尊处优的富家子弟和哈佛的天之骄子到工厂的普通学徒,泰勒并没有像别人认为的他是自暴自弃或者一时兴起,而是异常地勤奋和努力,由于表现突出,泰勒很快被提升为车间管理员、小组长、工长、技师,并在此期间通过夜校学习获得了新泽西州斯蒂文斯理工学院机械工程学学士学位,1884年泰勒升任米德维尔钢铁厂的总工程师;1906年,泰勒当选为美国机械工程学会会长,同年获得美国宾夕法尼亚大学名誉科学博士学位。

虽然从严格的学科分野意义上讲,《科学管理原理》的内容并不属于行政学研究领域的内容,但是《科学管理原理》以提高工人生产效率为目标提出的各种科学管理的方法,也同样适用于依靠传统经验进行管理而导致效率低下的政府机构。和行政学创始人同龄的泰勒也见证了美国由自由资本主义向垄断资本主义的转变,一方面,垄断资本主义的发展使得美国工业出现了前所未有的资本积累和工业技术进步;另一方面,垄断组织和资本家按照传统管理经验的方法对工人的压榨和盘剥更是导致了劳资关系的紧张,并且造成两者之间严重的对立,阻碍了生产效率的提高。与威尔逊站在学者的角度、从理论上研究提高政府效率的路径不同,泰勒作为工厂的总工程师则致力于工厂实际运作过程中工人生产效率的提高,这也是泰勒用尽一生大部分时间在追求的目标。泰勒认为,生产率是劳资双方都忽视的问题,部分原因是管理人员和工人都不了解什么是“一天合理的工作量”和“一天合理的报酬”。而且泰勒认为管理人员和工人都过分关心如何在工资和利润之间形成的分配,而对如何提高生产效率而使劳资双方都能获得更多报酬则几乎无知。他相信应用科学方法来代替惯例和经验,就可以不必多费人们更多的精力和努力,从而取得较高的生产率。泰勒对生产率的追求达到了一种疯狂的程度,这体现在他对工人动作的研究上:泰勒将工人分为第一流的工人和非第一流的工人,并在搬运生铁的试验中,对第一流工人搬运生铁的动作进行观察,将动作分解为多个步骤并详细记录时间,以发现第一流工人最高生产率的“秘诀”,在这个过程中,秒表成为关键的工具,泰勒也因此被称为“秒表骑士”。将第一流工人的技术动作进行总结之后,泰勒通过培训将第一流工人高效率的“秘诀”传授给非第一流的工人,以提高非第一流工人的效率。泰勒的本意是通过培训将工人都训练成第一流工人,以全面提高他们的工资水平。

《科学管理原理》是管理史上的一个里程碑,它是使管理从传统经验中摆脱出来并逐步走向科学化的一次质的飞跃。科学管理原理适应了垄断资本主义经济大发展对效率的需求,因时而生的科学管理原理很快风靡美国乃至整个资本主义社会,与此同时,一些打着泰勒“旗号”去讲授科学管理原理的“专家”也在全美各地纷纷出现,这使得社会各界尤其是社会主义者对泰勒及其科学管理原理的误解进一步加深,为此,泰勒在1901年之后就不再在任何公司担任职务,只从事宣传科学管理原理的管理咨询、写作和演讲工作,分文不取的泰勒只是为了向社会推广真正的科学管理原理。但是,尽管如此,泰勒还是受他人所累,因具体实施科学管理的梅里克在沃特顿兵工厂解雇拒绝配合的工会会员而引起罢工,国会众议院组成特别委员会展开调查并在1911年10月至1912年2月美国国会举行关于泰勒制和其他工场管理制度的听证会,泰勒也被迫出庭作证。泰勒在国会听证会上用其精彩的演讲为科学管理原理进行正名,其内容被整理为《在美国国会听证会上的证词》并于1912年出版,本书这一节所选取的内容就来自于这场演讲,之所以没有摘取更为人所知的标准化管理、计件工资制和职能工长制等内容,是因为在演讲中泰勒提倡劳资双方都必须进行一场“精神革命”,即雇主和工人之间不是天生的相互怀疑和对抗关系,而是可以为了提高劳动生产率的共同目标相互信任并进行合作的,这和当时社会各界主要是共产主义者将泰勒视为资本主义代言人的错误认知是截然相反的。通过对这一节内容的具体学习,读者将颠覆对所谓“理论”的认知,没有理论是一成不变的,理论往往是在自我矛盾、自我否定的过程中逐步形成和完善的。正如泰勒在克利夫兰广告俱乐部做的最后一次演讲中指出的:“科学管理的每一步都是一种发展,而不是一种理论……在科学管理中并不存在着什么固定不变的东西。”

但因为各地掀起工人罢工运动以及来自社会主义者的抗议,国会迫于压力,最终裁决沃特顿兵工厂解雇工会会员的行为违宪。这个结果虽然对泰勒造成了不小的打击,但也激励泰勒更加不遗余力地去全国各地做演讲,以更好地宣传科学管理原理。在这个废寝忘食、浑然忘我的过程中,泰勒在一次往返演讲的旅途中不幸感染了肺炎,1915年在家乡费城溘然长逝,他的墓碑位于一座能俯视费城钢铁厂烟囱的小山上,墓碑上刻着:“科学管理之父——弗雷德里克·温斯洛·泰勒”。

泰勒的科学管理理论对管理学而言有着极大的贡献。他在历史上第一次使管理从经验上升为科学,而其讲求效率的优化思想和调查研究的科学方法也被后人所重视。科学管理被运用于企业管理和各种组织管理之中,使得许多企业的生产效率成倍提高。泰勒的科学管理揭开了几千年来笼罩在管理上的“神秘”的面纱,谱写了管理理论和实践史上新的一页,成为人类管理思想史上的一个里程碑。人们把泰勒所处的时代称为“泰勒时代”,把他的管理理论称为“泰勒制”。 PZw0tKuM/9KNyUUH+sVLuPkcWFL7oSkpVKaVsydMumLfi7CoCpfn1fTUL7XgwWHl

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