Final answer:
Fredrick Taylor's scientific management relied on time and motion studies to set time standards for tasks, using stopwatches to optimize task efficiency and standardize work processes in manufacturing environments.
Step-by-step explanation:
Under scientific management, particularly the system developed by Fredrick Taylor, time and motion studies are utilized to set time standards for task performance. These studies involve the use of stopwatches to time workers' movements and activities with the aim of identifying and eliminating wasteful movements, thereby optimizing efficiency. By breaking down tasks into smaller, measurable components and timing these components, managers could develop a standard, efficient procedure for task execution that workers could be trained to follow, ultimately improving productivity and ensuring the best outcome for both employer and employee.
Taylor's approach, often called "stop-watch management," focused on the precise, repetitive nature of tasks in manufacturing environments and aimed to reduce the time taken to perform them by standardizing each motion necessary for a task's completion. The information derived from these time-motion studies was then used to establish consistent execution methods and time standards across workers and processes within the factory. This method of management contributed to the transformation of labor in the industrial age, with a marked emphasis on efficiency and profitability.