Taylorism 4.0: How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Knowledge Work -

In 1909, the American mechanical engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor helped to usher in the era of manufacturing automation when he published "The Principles of Scientific Management." Also known as Taylorism, scientific management aimed to improve economic and labor efficiency by analyzing and streamlining workflows. Training workers to perform tasks by specialization was instrumental in manufacturing's move from custom craftsmanship to mass production. Taylor's scientific management principles evolved into lean management, in which multi-skilling and problem solving among workers became critical to goals of continuous optimization and eliminating waste. And Taylorism is seen in the rise of knowledge work, a term first coined in 1959 by the influential management guru Peter Drucker in his book, "The Landmarks of Tomorrow."