Industrial Progress and Human Economics Part 3

For instance, while we know that skill and experience is invaluable, we make our mistake by underrating its value, or too often we limit its application to the hand worker. We say that skill of the pianist, the surgeon, the workman must be acquired by practice. We know that in many trades a workman must spend three, four or more years as an apprentice, and at least the same number of years is necessary of actual specialized practice in almost any department of work, but we overlook the fact that that special skill or that special ability on which modern success is based must be acquired under certain conditions.

The oriole builds a nest unlike the robin's nest. Each is qualified in its own work. We know that these birds would be sorely handicapped, and would probably be downright failures in providing nests in season for eggs, if each were required to work to plans and specifications of the other bird's nest.

Our fundamental error in understanding our own kind seems to lie in the fact that we fail to recognize that man is a creature of habit to an extent not quite equal to that of the lower animals, but nevertheless to a degree that positively stands in the way of any man who tries to create or manage an industry without giving due value to this one element.

Another way to say all this is that we must recognize experience is necessary--experience not only for the worker but for each one in the organization.

The effect of this characteristic of habit action is so profound that any disturbance in a plant due to changing the position of benches or machinery or changing the character of the work sorely interferes with man's efficiency. On account of this characteristic the degree to which man's energies are most effectively employed goes in direct proportion to the degree in which there is a minimum of changes in the character of the work.

The importance of this will be realized when we consider the question of compet.i.tion, for that, in the last a.n.a.lysis, const.i.tutes the measure of success.

Now, if we extend the plan of acquisition of special ability to embrace men in office as well as in the workshop we have covered the whole subject and have said nothing more than that it is necessary for all men in the office as well as in the workshop to have a special ability that has been acquired by experience.

If it is as simple as this, why the need of saying it? The need is brought about by the painful fact that one of the characteristics of habit action is to continue on without change even after the mind has apparently recognized that a change should be made.

Success comes not from the mere _word_ knowledge of these things, but through action.

SPECIALIZATION.

Of the many elements on which industrial development depends, the question of specialization looms large.

Under the general term "specialization" we include all plans and methods of work by which the scope of activity of man is concentrated.

The highest degree of skill of artist or worker is attained by concentration of energies to a restricted range of work. It is through practice that the skill is acquired. The highest skill and highest ability is attained by the degree of interested attention and number of repet.i.tions of a given kind of work.

Other things being equal, the practice, combined with keenness of interest, makes the most successful man in a given profession or work.

Repet.i.tion of operation becomes an automatic (habit) action in which man accomplishes the most work for a given expenditure of energy.

These two results--proficiency and easy performance--are of greatest value, but repet.i.tion of action, like nearly all good things, is not without its drawbacks. An overdose of one kind of work with a limited range of action frequently leads to dulling the senses. This stultifying effect produces a most undesirable result. The harm begins when there is a loss of interest in the work, for it is through the interest that the progress is made.

The dividing line between the good and bad results varies with different types of men.

The simplest tasks may become of intense interest to the scientist and he may achieve great success in a work that to others seems monotonous drudgery. But with all its drawbacks it still is the best way for man to work and while we must labor to eliminate the condition of drudgery, we must face the plain fact that compet.i.tion between men, industries, states and nations makes it absolutely necessary to specialize.

Specialization by the men and groups of men will determine the question of superiority of advance in science, industry, commerce, general wealth and welfare, as well as military strength in the time of war.

While we have clearly before us the degrading effects of repet.i.tion of distasteful tasks; we must not ignore the other extreme.

The opposite condition is the employment of energies of mind and body in ways that cannot produce high degree of ability. With such desultory use of energies, a day's work is of relatively small value, and there is no progress.

Of the two extremes we find the most prevalent to be the scatter-brain and scatter ability type.

The industries of the higher type lead in providing the best implements and in organization of best team work by which each worker produces the greatest value for a given expenditure of energy.

The essential bearing Of these facts is that the worker as well as the business man should compare his work with the work of others with whom he is in compet.i.tion.

In these days of long distance transportation our compet.i.tors in the market may be a long distance away.

If it is in agriculture, the question of climate, soil and degree to which highly efficient implements can be used, are important factors.

If it is in the professions we must see how we can acquire the greatest proficiency and opportunity. This again involves the question of the extent to which we must specialize.

The measure then of success is the value of our services as compared with the services of others.

One of the important problems in industrial management is the extent to which specialization should be practiced.

On one hand we see the ill effects of a routine repet.i.tion where there has been an overdose of repet.i.tion--one that has gone beyond the beneficial point--and on the other hand, we find that the greatest achievements in the sciences and professions have been wrought by those who have concentrated in a way that has given them a higher development. Unfortunately in many of the industries, the development of machinery has gone forward with the sole end in view of dollars and cents, disregarding the effect on the worker.

This is to be found in some of the industries in which originally there was an opportunity for the worker to have a keen interest in his work. Mention is made of this situation as it comes about with certain stages of development of the manufacturing processes. It is unfortunate and something that the engineers and managers should endeavor to eliminate.

We have very few of such industries in Vermont; they can broadly be cla.s.sed as undesirable industries. The fact that there are such industries should not in itself drive us from the scheme of working by which men specialize. We should, however, see to it that the degree of repet.i.tion of operation goes only to the beneficial extent. Our greatest trouble in Vermont has been the wasteful scattering of each man's energies over a variety of tasks.

Compet.i.tion with the outer world makes it absolutely necessary that we use our energies in the most effective manner; that most effective manner is the one by which through repet.i.tion and experience we acquire skill and ability. The important matter to decide is the degree to which we can specialize. This degree varies with the work and the individual. To an alert and active mentality routine work becomes drudgery, while to the opposite type, mental work is annoying. In an industry, men gradually fit in with the most suitable work. Each man's job should be one that is best for him.

Nothing has been said thus far regarding the invention of new forms of articles to manufacture, or of new methods of machinery for manufacturing articles. These elements and many others are necessary in order to complete a successful plant, but the fundamentals embraced in a statement regarding the habit-action of man represented by special ability and skill acquired by experience, and the habit-action of the group acquired in the same way, const.i.tutes a measure in determining the way at ninety per cent of the cross roads in industrial progress. Anyone undertaking the creation of a new organization or the management of a going concern must grasp these facts.

The value of experience, if acquired in an industry where such fundamental principles have been recognized, should be given the highest rating. Experience, however, in an industry where the energies of men were not most effectively employed and where there was not a recognition that the effective employment of man's energies require a general development of mind and body up to the man's capacity, cannot be counted as wholly good unless, through force of purpose, there is the strength to adopt a new path.

[Footnote]INDUSTRIAL MANAGEMENT.

[Footnote text: A revision of material originally under t.i.tle of Human Factor in Works Management by James Hartness, published by McGraw-Hill Publishing Co., New York.]

The navigator in preparing for a voyage carefully examines each of his instruments. He must know the present error of his chronometer and its rate of change, and its general reliability as indicated by its past record. He must also know errors in his compa.s.ses for each point, and he should have the fullest information regarding the degree of reliability of every other means on which his success depends; and, last but not least, he must accurately determine his starting-point or point of departure.

In taking up the subject before us we will do well to follow his example.

In doing so, our task will be to examine two princ.i.p.al elements: one, the means on which we depend for interpreting the information that is available; and the other, the source and character of the information.

The means may be considered a.n.a.logous to the navigator's instruments, and is no less a thing than the brain or mental machinery; and the information is simply the world about us as seen in the existing things, such as machinery, methods, popular notions, textbooks, etc., all of which may be cla.s.sed as environments, and may be considered as a.n.a.logous to the charts and other publications of our worthy example.

Like the mariner, we must determine the degree of reliability of all these sources of information and our means for interpreting observed facts.

When we have ascertained this we will know what allowance to make from the "observed" to get the actual facts. With this knowledge we will be able to accurately determine both our starting-point and best course.

The importance of considering our own minds will be seen when we realize that every new fact taken in must in a measure conform to the previous ideas. If some of these old ideas are erroneous, the mind must be more or less ready to discard them. It is very difficult to dislodge deep-seated convictions. Contradictory ideas are not a.s.similated. Only one of them is actually accepted. Even when to the objective reasoning they seem false, they frequently continue to control our actions.

Since we are loaded with the popular ideas which we have absorbed from our environment, it will be well for us to begin by critically examining our environment and the process by which ideas have been taken in. This may enable us to put out some of the erroneous views, and perhaps more firmly fix the true ideas; thereby preparing the mind for a more ready acceptance of what otherwise would be barred out as contradictory.

We shall not go deeply into the psychology of the subject, as it will not be necessary to go contrary to or beyond the well-known facts.

We shall not try to locate the man or refer to him as the ego or inner man. We shall simply say that we know that we can use our brains to think on any subject, and we can use our senses to collect information regarding any chosen subject.

Our senses and mental faculties can be directed to consider one element in a business, and for the moment be unmindful of the many other elements. In other words, we can to a certain extent manage our mental processes. Just as a horse can be managed, so may we manage our brains. A driver may carefully control the expenditure of energy and the course traveled, or he may throw the reins over the dash and allow the horse to go his own gait and route. In the same way we may manage or mismanage our brains.

Good Results with Moderate Effort.