Week 2, Blog #1

In reading about the scientific management theory of the classical management approach in Chapter 3, I am reminded that while, from the engineering perspective of which I am accustomed, Frederick Taylor’s theory for workplace organization seems so practical, it is also fraught with fatal flaws. From an organizing and organizations’ perspective, the theory works well if applied to non-human subjects (e.g., items such as tools, equipment, materials (“widgets”)). In my experiences, however, scientific management does not seem to be effective for organizational communication. I have found that while there is a time and place for managers to be the ultimate decision-makers, communication in an organization is more effective when all employees feel as though they have been made part of the solution. For example, in my work, I prepare design drawings that need to be constructed. While it is critical for an engineer to have researched, analyzed, and developed a solution to a particular problem, I have often found the most insightful perspectives to be borne from the so-called “blue-collar” worker (e.g., a heavy equipment operator who might have only a high school education, but has years of practical, on-the-ground construction experience). I also find it somewhat ironic that Taylor’s scientific management concept – originally intended for implementation in the workplace – has found relevance in, of all places, the home, “to give order to [working families’] busy lives” (Eisenberg et.al., 2007, p. 73).