Scientific management, the US Civil Communications Section (CCS) training system and their impacts on contemporary management thinking

Ellis, Gery and Found, Pauline and Kumar, Maneesh and Harwell, Jan Scientific management, the US Civil Communications Section (CCS) training system and their impacts on contemporary management thinking. Total Quality Management and Business Excellence. ISSN 1478-3363 (In Press)

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Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of Scientific Management on General Douglas MacArthur's Civil Communications Section (CCS) training system and subsequently on contemporary management thinking. Design/Methodology/Approach: The design and methodology of this paper is to synthesise archival twentieth-century literature on Scientific Management and the CCS course using a combination of business history and social science methods. The approach taken was interpretative and the paper narrative in style. Findings: The research demonstrates that very advanced theories coming from Taylorism and Scientific Management would not be out of place in operations management today. While Taylorism has generally been vilified, this research shows that there is enough evidence to suggest that some of the theoretical underpinnings of Scientific Management are still being used today in theories and concepts that underpin Quality, Lean, Agile and Operational Excellence, and will be expanded to explain the development of Industry 4.0. Research limitations/implications: While the CCS course is mostly forgotten and under-researched outside of Japan, the importance of the course to the Japanese and to the industrialisation of the Japanese electronics industry is acknowledged (Goto, 1999). The contribution of this research is to challenge some of the accepted views in business history on the origins of Japanese manufacturing. Originality/value: This paper provides a comprehensive review of General Douglas MacArthur's Civil Communications Section (CCS) training system, its influencers and its impact. It contains previously unpublished archival material and insights from the original authors and commentators of that period.

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