Difference between revisions of "325--Week 5 Questions/Comments"
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Also, the source “An Engineering Student Instructs a Laundress” kinds of points out how little changes in procedures can make a big difference in time management and efficiency. --Jessica Kilday | Also, the source “An Engineering Student Instructs a Laundress” kinds of points out how little changes in procedures can make a big difference in time management and efficiency. --Jessica Kilday | ||
| + | The way Frederick Winslow Taylor described the system of “soldiering” or loafing certainly makes it seem like the workers were extremely lazy. As someone who can appreciate hard work, I automatically had an adverse reaction to that, thinking that owners weren’t asking for too much when they expected their workers to actually do their jobs and be paid accordingly. But then I questioned Taylor’s description of soldiering. Were the workers really that lazy? Was he exaggerating to so his own system of scientific management, which essentially turned humans into automatons, would be accepted? Taylor’s comments on the laborers reminds me of Henry Ford’s comment during the Great Depression about most men being uninterested in a hard day’s work. Harsh. --Taylor Brann | ||
== Frederick's The New Housekeeping == | == Frederick's The New Housekeeping == | ||
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Frederick's application of the scientific method of housekeeping is an intriguing topic. It is true that decreasing the amount of wasted time in daily cleaning and maintenance tasks could lead to increased production. Yet the scientific method fails to account for the human element within the equation. It's highly unlikely that an increase in time will lead to one being willing to work longer and harder. Some individuals are highly motivated to accomplish their assigned tasks and do enjoy their "jobs," yet it seems more likely that increased free time will lend itself to an increase in time lavished upon the self and his or her family. Other articles and documents that we've read affirm that workers generally only work as hard as they need in order for their families to survive. Thus, while Frederick's application of the scientific method of efficiency is intriguing and could yield great results in an idealized world, it may have had little impact on the daily lives of women. -Bryan Lees | Frederick's application of the scientific method of housekeeping is an intriguing topic. It is true that decreasing the amount of wasted time in daily cleaning and maintenance tasks could lead to increased production. Yet the scientific method fails to account for the human element within the equation. It's highly unlikely that an increase in time will lead to one being willing to work longer and harder. Some individuals are highly motivated to accomplish their assigned tasks and do enjoy their "jobs," yet it seems more likely that increased free time will lend itself to an increase in time lavished upon the self and his or her family. Other articles and documents that we've read affirm that workers generally only work as hard as they need in order for their families to survive. Thus, while Frederick's application of the scientific method of efficiency is intriguing and could yield great results in an idealized world, it may have had little impact on the daily lives of women. -Bryan Lees | ||
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| + | The Frederick’s essay about employing scientific management in the household just makes you feel bad for those poor middle-class folks, doesn’t it? Those lucky lower-class families didn’t have to worry about keeping up appearances and entertaining friends. Of course, something tells me that rather than being plagued by the drudgery of constant household chores and wasted motions (and having enough time to think about it for that matter), lower-class women were more worried about earning a living, where their next meal was coming from, keeping a roof over their heads, and other basic survival needs. --Taylor Brann | ||
== Other documents of Scientific Management, ~1900-1940 == | == Other documents of Scientific Management, ~1900-1940 == | ||
