Scientific Management is a controversial approach to work, which has been adopted by many agencies and employers, as any process requires consistency and efficiency to ensure that the production and manufacturing of goods meet set quotas and deadlines. A scientific approach to work management ensures that the outcome of individual and collective efforts is replicable and reliable, regardless of the frequency of times with which it's been performed.
Some perceive this approach as inhumane and unethical because it puts a person in a harsh framework and does not leave him any space for creativity. By design, the Taylorian scientific approach focuses on efficiency and reliability, leaving no space for improvisation. For the purposes for which it is designed, it proves to work as long as nobody deviates from the established rules and standards.
Taylorian approach to tasks may be beneficial in every field of work or life. To maintain a large household, for example, strategically positioned appliances and furniture, and a certain order in which the tasks are completed, may significantly improve life quality and yield more physical and mental energy during the day to spend and enjoy more time with loved ones.
When scientific management is taken too far, however, it may cause a lot of frustration and dissatisfaction at work. The present-day definition of such experience is micro-management. Constant and relentless monitoring took the form of a watchful digital eye: the camera. They are strategically positioned in every corner of a building, with the exception of bathrooms (but you never know), and every activity, every move, and even facial expressions are captured. Unless we pretend that it is not there, there is really no genuine way of relaxing and getting comfortable around our workspaces. There is a quiet and creeping sense of terror within us about the fragility of the situation, about the ease with which we can be replaced, for subtle reasons, and with no constructive feedback. This is the case when Taylorianism went too far, far beyond the simple task control, all the way to our cells and under the skin, we can feel it in our lungs....it interferes with our daily inhales and exhales.
With all of these advanced technological tools that can easily track and monitor our daily activities in physical and digital spaces, is it absolutely necessary to take away our autonomy? Why not have faith in our best intentions and give us some space for a more improvised yet meaningful and purposeful expression?
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