Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915) was an American mechanical engineer who sought to improve industrial efficiency and productivity. He is often considered as the father of scientific management, also known as "Taylorism." His work significantly influenced the development of industrial engineering and management science, both in the United States and around the world. Taylor was born into a wealthy family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He had an early interest in mechanical things and practical work, and in his early career, he worked as a machinist and draughtsman. He eventually took up a position at the Midvale Steel Company where he rose to the position of chief engineer. ## The cult of efficiency At Midvale, Taylor began his pioneering work in improving labor productivity. He believed that work could be scientifically organized to make it more efficient, and he sought to eliminate wasted effort and inefficiency in the work process. He conducted time and motion studies, analyzing the movements and timings of tasks to identify ways to make them more efficient. One of Taylor's most well-known concepts is the "time study," where he used a stopwatch to time a worker's sequence of motions, with the goal of determining the one best way to perform a job. He also believed in a differential piece-rate system, where workers who produced above a certain standard received a higher rate of pay, providing a direct incentive for efficiency. Taylor's ideas were controversial during his lifetime and remain so today. His focus on efficiency and productivity was seen by some as dehumanizing workers, reducing them to mere cogs in the industrial machine. On the other hand, his principles have been credited with significantly increasing productivity and promoting a more scientific approach to business management. ## The rise of managerial culture Taylor's ideas were widely disseminated through his 1911 book "The Principles of Scientific Management." Despite the criticisms, his theories have had a lasting impact on modern business practices and industrial engineering. His principles have influenced areas such as quality control, inventory control, and operations research, and his work continues to be studied and applied in business and industrial settings today. Taylor believed in transferring control from workers to management and in paying workers based on their productivity. His system often faced resistance from labor leaders and strikes. Though he promised to reconcile labor and capital, his ideas required suppressing any evidence of worker dissent or coercion. Over the decades there has been greater skepticism applied to the validity of Taylor's studies in efficiency extraction at all costs.