Final answer:
Frederick W. Taylor, Frank Gilbreth, and Henry Gantt were proponents of scientific management, which aimed at increasing efficiency and productivity by analyzing and optimizing the production process through time-motion studies and standardization.
Step-by-step explanation:
The dinner guests Frederick W. Taylor, Frank Gilbreth, and Henry Gantt shared a management perspective known as scientific management. This approach, prominently advocated by Taylor, focused on enhancing work efficiency through meticulously analyzing and optimizing each aspect of the production process. It aimed to minimize wasted motions and unnecessary steps, using methods like time-motion studies and standardization to increase output for the company and potentially wages for the workers.
Fredrick Taylor, known for his 'stop-watch management', laid the groundwork for scientific management by publishing his views and research in his 1911 book, The Principles of Scientific Management. Similarly, Frank Gilbreth, alongside his wife Lillian Moller Gilbreth, also contributed to this management style through their own time and motion studies. These studies were directed at making workers more efficient by reducing the number of motions in a task, leading to the development of many practical improvements in various fields.
Taylorism, despite facing criticism and strikes from workers who felt their autonomy was being reduced, was seen as a progressive move towards efficiency and was adopted by various factory owners seeking profitability.