Journal of Business and Management – Vol. 17, No. 1, 2011
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The impact of Taylor’s work on the field of management has long been recognized
by management scholars. Wren and Hay’s (1977) study saw Taylor at the top of the
list among contributors to American management thought and practice. Heames &
Breland’s (2010) study found Taylor to be at the top of their list thirty years later. The
Principles of Scientific Management, not only tops Bedeian and Wren’s (2001, p. 222) list
of the 25 most influential management books of the 20th century, but they refer to it
as “The most influential book on management ever published.” The 100th anniversary
of the publication of his book offers a unique opportunity to reflect on the relevance of
Taylor’s ideas in the 21st century.
This Special Issue has eight articles. The first paper, The Centennial of Frederick
W. Taylor’s The Principles of Scientific Management: A Retrospective Commentary, is
by management scholar and historian Daniel A. Wren. Dr. Wren is the author of The
History of Management Thought, now in its 5th edition, and The Evolution of Management
Thought, with Arthur Bedian, also in its 6th edition. Wren received the Distinguished
Educator Award from the national Academy of Management for his contributions “as the
foremost management historian of his generation.” Wren’s paper describes the events
leading to the publication of The Principles of Scientific Management, the evolution from
task management to scientific management, and the factors that contributed to scientific
management becoming an international force. Wren addresses “the intriguing question
of why Taylor and his ideas have a continuing grip on management literature and our
current thinking” (Wren, 2011, p. 11). The Journal of Business and Management is
honored to have this noted management historian offer a retrospective commentary on
Taylor’s The Principles of Scientific Management.
Riccardo Giorgio Zuffo explores one aspect of the controversy surrounding Taylor’s
ideas in “Taylor is Dead, Hurray Taylor!” Zuffo details the criticisms of theorists who
argued that Taylor’s experiments were not positivist science, but instead, merely
common sense. He then documents the scientific basis of Taylor’s experiments and
how his use of experiments both in and out of the lab led to the formulation of The
Principles of Scientific Management. This paper also delves into the political, social,
and ethical aspects of Taylor’s work, exploring how Taylor’s intentions were to create a
better society by eliminating conflict using science.
Jeremy C. Short offers a novel perspective on the Taylor - Sinclair editorial debates
that appeared in The American Magazine. In “The Debate Goes On! A Graphical Portrayal
of the Sinclair-Taylor Editorial Dialogue,” Short discusses how issues argued in the
1911 Taylor - Sinclair debate are still relevant today. In the same year that The Principles
of Scientific Management was published, Taylor engaged in an editorial debate with
Upton Sinclair, author of The Jungle. Upton’s novel detailing horrific health and safety
working conditions in the meat packing industry led to the establishment of the Food
and Drug Administration. Upton Sinclair was critical of Taylor’s methods, believing
that scientific management exploited workers. Taylor believed that the implementation
of scientific management would lead to improved working conditions for the workers.
Short’s paper highlights the impact Taylor’s work had on the working conditions of
employees in the 20th century and reminds us that work and the conditions under
which it is performed have long been topics of scholarly and societal interest.
“Citing Taylor: Tracing Taylorism’s Technical and Sociotechnical Duality through