Taylor's Scientific Management Theory

The prompt this week was: Successful organizations typically have an organizational philosophy. Using Farazmand's overview on theory, what theory or theories do you think would be most relevant or useful in today’s modern organization? This is a great book, by Farazmand, so I went to buy it so I wouldn't have to continue reading photocopied snippets. The cheapest version is over 100 dollars. I was still going to buy it, the problem was that it may never come as they don't have any in stock and there's no guarantee they'll buy more.

Regardless, it's a good book on organizations, and the prompt about successful organizations was intriguing. 

Personally, when I think of the modern organization and the organizations that I have been a part of, the theory that most resonates with me about the leadership of those organizations is what Farazmand (2002) states when he writes that the classical/formal organization theory is grounded "In the process of organizations toward maximizing internal efficiency while maintaining administrative control over organizational members and operations" (p. 24). 

Having been a worker bee or staff member, worked as a contractor, a project manager, and now as a leader of an organization, I see that this definition and the interplay between administrative and organizational control of members and operations is always a part of the organizations, and usually the organization is on the knife's edge of losing control, but somehow always maintaining. Most of that maintaining comes by way of a culture within the organization that is driving toward success by the entire employee population. 

Then as a addendum to this section, Farazmand (2002) writes that Taylor's scientific management theory "focusing on internal efficiency maximization, work standardization, separation of managerial functions from operational functions, and maintenance of effective managerial control" (p. 26) also struck a chord as being a valid aspect of most organizations within which I've worked. Having worked in IT, sales, operations, business development, design, training, recruiting and now operations delivery and development, and leadership positions, I can see how standardization with separation of managerial controls, and just about every other aspect of Taylor's scientific management theory has been a part of my work world.

Our professor's question also asks what do organizations need to be successful. I think that the organizations who followed these models above were successful. There have been others I've worked with over the years with loser ideas about organization and management, more open and less rigid and I found that those did not survive, nor did I continue to work with them (which could show some bias). Then there were two that took these guidelines and organizations boundaries to the extreme, and although they didn't crash as badly as some, they did not grow as quickly. All in all I think the above theories,  Taylor's scientific management theory and the more broad classical/formal organization theory can help organizations achieve, thrive and be successful in today's world. 

References

Farazmand, A. (2002).  Modern organizations:  Theory and practice.  London:  Praeger.