Discussions on the Nature of the Scientific Management Approach in the Early Times of U.S. Industry

Abstract

When the American Civil War ended in 1865, industrial organizations proliferated at an unpredictable rate. With the ascending number of industrial organizations, new problems emerged that the production process and management problems in the U.S. The discussion platforms were created and set up by owners, managers, and consultants of U.S. industry organizations to seek solutions to the joint problems. Management and production process problems had been discussed on these platforms. This study highlights the significance of science, art, and philosophical concepts related to the scientific management (S.M.) movement in the early period of U.S. industry organizations by focusing on these concepts’ similarities and dissociations. The articles, books, and proceedings of the S.M. movement pioneers have revealed the root causes of the different opinions about the S.M. movement. Science, art, and philosophical viewpoints of scientific management have discussed S.M.’s pioneers and its period conditions. Different viewpoints indeed created an excellent ground for the development of S.M. However, the early phases of S.M. were opponents to the S.M. movement, and those who criticized the S.M. did so for it being an uncompleted and interest group related movement.

Keywords

• Scientific management
• Science
• Art
• Philosophy
• Early U.S. Industries

References

1. Alford, L. P., & Church, A. H. (1912). The Principles of Management. American Machinist, 36(22).
2. Ambrose, S. E. (2012). Nothing Like It in the World: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869. Simon And Schuster.
3. Arslan, Ahmet. (2017) Felsefeye Giriş. BB101 Yayınları. 25. Baskı. S.73-74.
4. Berber, A. (2013). Klasik Yönetim Düşüncesi: Geleneksel ve Klasik Paradigmalarla Klasik ve Neo-Klasik Örgüt Teorileri. Alfa.
5. Brown, P. S. (1925). The Work and Aims of the Taylor Society. The Annals of The American Academy of Political and Social Science, 119(1).
6. Church, A. H., & Alford, L. P. (1912). The Principles of Management. American Machinist, 36(22).
7. Drury, H. B. (1922). Scientific Management: A History and Criticism (No. 157). AMS Press.
8. Hoxie, R. F. (1915). Scientific Management and Labor. D. Appleton.

9. Hutton, F. R. (1915). A History of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers From 1880 to 1915. The Society.
10. Jenks, L. H. (1960). Early Phases of the Management Movement. Administrative Science Quarterly, 421-447.
11. Kotnour, T., & Farr, J. V. (2005). Engineering Management: Past, Present, And Future. Engineering Management Journal, 17(1).
12. Kulli, B. (2019). Factory and Production Problems to Scientific Management Societies: Legitimacy of The Scientific Management Movement. Istanbul Management Journal (87).
13. Lemak, D. J. (2004). Leading Students Through the Management Theory Jungle By Following the Path of the Seminal Theorists. Management Decision.
14. Metcalfe, H. (1894). The Cost of Manufactures and the Administration of Workshops, Public And Private. J. Wiley.
15. Nevins, A., & Commager, H. S. (2005). ABD Tarihi, (Çev. Halil İnalcık). Ankara: Doğu Batı.
16. Saros, D. E. (2011). Labor, Industry, And Regulation During the Progressive Era. Routledge.
17. Taylor Society (1916). Bulletin of the Society to Promote the Science of Management. January, Vol:2, No 1: 1-20.
18. Taylor Society (1922). Bulletin of the Society to Promote the Science of Management. December, Vol:7, No 6: 209-246.
19. Taylor, F. W. (1911). The Principles of Scientific Management. New York, 202.
20. Taylor, F. W. (2004). Scientific Management. Routledge.
21. Towne, H. R. (1986, August). The Engineer As An Economist. in Academy of Management Proceedings (Vol. 1986, No. 1, pp. 3-4). Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510: Academy of Management.
22. Ülgen, H., Ve Mirze, S. K. (2013). İşletmelerde Stratejik Yönetim (7. Baskı). İstanbul: Beta Yayınları.
23. Wren, D. A. (1997). The Evolution of Management Thought. 7. Ed. John Wiley.
24. Wren, D. A., And Bedeian, A. G. (1994). The Evolution of Management Thought. 6. Ed. John Wiley.