Alfred Marshall's critical analysis of scientific management

Abstract

In Industry and Trade, 'A study of industrial technique and business organization; and of their influences on the conditions of various classes and nations' (1919), Alfred Marshall develops a detailed analysis of scientific management, emphasizing not only its unquestionable advantages but also its dangerous limits. Although in the literature Marshall's evaluation of scientific management has been considered rather positive, the author has found it sceptical and definitively critical in many passages of his book. This paper deals with Marshall's analysis in order to underline the reasons why he criticizes Taylor's system, which, at that time, sounded like the greatest expression of modernity.Scientific management, industrial organization, division of labour, progress,

A critical commentary on management science in relation to reforms after institutional National Health Service failures

“…Management science methods promote decision making based on a scientific repository of information to shape policy (Siedelman, 2015). However, the quantitative methods were criticised as pseudo-scientific because unless individuals are trained in such methods, the process is difficult to question (Caldari, 2007).…”

“…Proponents are taught how to measure human action through quantitative methods used as benchmarks to control quality and productivity (Caldari, 2007). The Taylorist methods went out of favour in the middle of the twentieth century due to the negative effect of work intensification, lowered worker moral, the increased ratio of managers to workers and sharper procedural focus (Caldari, 2007).…”

“…Proponents are taught how to measure human action through quantitative methods used as benchmarks to control quality and productivity (Caldari, 2007). The Taylorist methods went out of favour in the middle of the twentieth century due to the negative effect of work intensification, lowered worker moral, the increased ratio of managers to workers and sharper procedural focus (Caldari, 2007). Management science resurfaced in the mid-twentieth century in Harvard University's Masters in Business Administration (MBA) proposing Neo-Taylorist principles as the antidote to organisational problems (Axelson, 1998).…”

Cluster Initiatives as Intermediaries : A Study of their Management and Stakeholders

“…The idea of a clear division of roles and goals is historical, when management was centralized and rigidly steered (i.e., Taylorism); Marshall, however, criticized centralization and rigid steering, and his and others' critiques softened and shaped the approach (cf. Caldari, 2007). So, when executing its roles properly, cluster initiatives bear the trust of its members and engender the sense of a common direction (cf.…”

“…Clusters have become an important attribute of regions where attractiveness is reinforced by collaboration and competition among regional, national, and international organizations (Marshall, 1921;Dahmén, 1950;Porter, 1998;Johannisson et al, 2007;Caldari, 2007;Ebbekink & Lagendijk, 2013). The coexistence of competition and collaboration, a paradox, seems to be beneficial for the cluster as a whole, as the following inspiring examples illustrate: Bollywood (India), Cleantech (Denmark), Kista Science City (Sweden), Aerospace Valley (France), the Blue Maritime Cluster (Norway), BioWin (Belgium), the Media Park (Hilversum, Netherlands), and Silicon Fen (UK).…”