Shop Management is the original handbook for organizational management and efficiency in the production of goods. First published in 1903, the book represents over twenty years of Frederick Taylor’s study to turn management into a science as well as an art.
With the growth of Lean into all sectors of manufacturing and service industries around the globe, a survey into the origins of Lean becomes vital. As English economist Maynard Keynes once said “ideas shape the course of history,†and Frederick Taylor’s ideas still shape the course of history well after a century of use. Shop Management is a living lesson that shows how an innovative idea will adapt in order to survive. The purpose of Enna’s Lean Origin Series is to facilitate that adaptation by publishing classic texts that are relevant to today’s business needs.
Where Taylor’s Principles of Scientific Management was a philosophical review of his new science and its uses, Shop Management is a manual that goes into the nuts and bolts of efficiency and improvement. Like every good consultant, he sums up big ideas with concise points and principles. Taylor’s Four Principles of Organizational Change should be hung in any environment where improvements are sought:
- Choose a specific management style
- It takes money
- It takes time
- Consistent and respectful implementation
The basic premise of Taylor’s system was always high wages coupled with low labor cost; taken in that context, the leap from Taylor to Toyota is not one of faith, but one of logic. A keen eye will spot the inspiration behind the minds of the Toyota Production System. Standards for methods and machinery, the wisdom of Taiichi Ohno’s saying that managers should have dirty hands, and the calculated common sense of Shigeo Shingo. You will also find genuine concern for the worker that is balanced by the needs of the organization. Even–tempered in regards to employer and employee relations, Frederick Taylor recognized the fact that service to the customer should be the ultimate concern of both. The value in reading Shop Management does not lie in a historical context, it lies in giving us a fuller understanding of our goals and how to accomplish them.