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The Psychology of Management by Lillian Moller Gilbreth

CHAPTER IX

1645 words  |  Chapter 252

INCENTIVES DEFINITION OF INCENTIVE.--An "incentive" is defined by the Century Dictionary as "that which moves the mind or stirs the passions; that which incites or tends to incite to action; motive, spur." Synonyms--"impulse, stimulus, incitement, encouragement, goad." IMPORTANCE OF THE INCENTIVE.--The part that the incentive plays in the doing of all work is enormous. This is true in learning, and also in the performance of work which is the result of this learning: manual work and mental work as well. The business man finishing his work early that he may go to the baseball game; the boy at school rushing through his arithmetic that he may not be kept after school; the piece-worker, the amount of whose day's pay depends upon the quantity and quality he can produce; the student of a foreign language preparing for a trip abroad,--these all illustrate the importance of the incentive as an element in the amount which is to be accomplished. TWO KINDS OF INCENTIVES.--The incentive may be of two kinds: it may be first of all, a return, definite or indefinite, which is to be received when a certain portion of the work is done, or it may be an incentive due to the working conditions themselves. The latter case is exemplified where two people are engaged in the same sort of work and start in to race one another to see who can accomplish the most, who can finish the fixed amount in the shortest space of time, or who can produce the best quality. The incentive may be in the form of some definite aim or goal which is understood by the worker himself, or it may be in some natural instinct which is roused by the work, either consciously to the worker, or consciously to the man who is assigning the work, or consciously to both, or consciously to neither one. In any of these cases it is a natural instinct that is being appealed to and that induces the man to do more work, whether he sees any material reward for that work or not. DEFINITIONS OF TWO TYPES.--We may call the incentive which utilizes the natural instinct, "direct incentive," and the incentive which utilizes these secondarily, through some set reward or punishment, "indirect incentive." This, at first sight, may seem a contradictory use of terms--it may seem that the reward would be the most direct of incentives; yet a moment's thought will cause one to realize that all the reward can possibly do is to arouse in the individual a natural instinct which will lead him to increase his work. INDIRECT INCENTIVES INCLUDE TWO CLASSES.--We will discuss the indirect incentives first as, contrary to the usual use of the word "indirect," they are most easy to estimate and to describe. They divide themselves into two classes, reward and punishment. DEFINITION OF REWARD.--Reward is defined by the Century Dictionary as--"return, recompense, the fruit of one's labor or works; profit," with synonyms, "pay, compensation, remuneration, requital and retribution." Note particularly the word "retribution," for it is this aspect of reward, that is, the just outcome of one's act, that makes the reward justly include punishment. The word "reward" exactly expresses what management would wish to be understood by the incentive that it gives its men to increase their work. DEFINITION OF PUNISHMENT.--The word "punishment" is defined as--"pain, suffering, loss, confinement, or other penalty inflicted on a person for a crime or offense by the authority to which the offender is subject," with synonyms, "chastisement, correction, discipline." The word punishment, as will be noted later, is most unfortunate when applied to what Scientific Management would mean by a penalty, though this word also is unfortunate; but, in the first place, there is no better word to cover the general meaning; and in the second place, the idea of pain and suffering, which Scientific Management aims to and does eliminate, is present in some of the older forms of management Therefore the word punishment must stand. REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS RESULT IN ACTION.--There can be no doubt that a reward is an incentive. There may well be doubt as to whether a punishment is an incentive to action or not. This, however, is only at first glance, and the whole thing rests on the meaning of the word "action." To be active is certainly the opposite of being at rest. This being true, punishment is just as surely an incentive to action as is reward. The man who is punished in every case will be led to some sort of action. Whether this really results in an increase of output or not simply determines whether the punishment is a scientifically prescribed punishment or not. If the punishment is of such a nature that the output ceases because of it, or that it incites the man punished against the general good, then it does not in any wise cease to be an active thing, but it is simply a wrong, and unscientifically assigned punishment, that acts in a detrimental way. SOLDIERING ALONE CUTS DOWN ACTIVITY.--It is interesting to note that the greatest cause for cutting down output is related more closely to a reward than a punishment. Under such managements as provide no adequate reward for all, and no adequate assurance that all can receive extra rewards permanently without a cut in the rate, it may be advisable, for the worker's best interests, to limit output in order to keep the wages, or reward, up, and soldiering results. The evils of soldiering will be discussed more at length under the "Systems of Pay." It is plain, however, here that soldiering is the result of a cutting down of action, and it is self-evident that anything which cuts down action is harmful, not only to the individual himself, but to society at large. NATURE OF REWARDS AND PUNISHMENTS.--Under all types of management, the principal rewards consist of promotion and pay, pay being a broad word used here to include regular wages, a bonus, shorter hours, other forms of remuneration or recompense; anything which can be given to the man who does the work to benefit him and increase his desire to continue doing the work. Punishments may be negative, that is, they may simply take the form of no reward; or they may be positive, that is, they may include fines, discharge, assignment to less remunerative or less desirable work, or any other thing which can be given to the man to show him that he has not done what is expected of him and, in theory at least, to lead him to do better. NATURE OF DIRECT INCENTIVES.--Direct incentives will be such native reaction as ambition, pride and pugnacity; will be love of racing, love of play; love of personal recognition; will be the outcome of self-confidence and interest, and so on. THE REWARD UNDER TRADITIONAL MANAGEMENT UNSTANDARDIZED.--As with all other discussions of any part or form of Traditional Management, the discussion of the incentive under Traditional Management is vague from the very nature of the subject. "Traditional" stands for vagueness and for variation, for the lack of standardization, for the lack of definiteness in knowledge, in process, in results. The rewards under Traditional Management, as under all types of management, are promotion and pay. It must be an almost unthinkably poor system of management, even under Traditional Management, which did not attempt to provide for some sort of promotion of the man who did the most and best work; but the lack of standardization of conditions, of instructions, of the work itself, and of reward, makes it almost impossible not only to give the reward, but even to determine who deserves the reward. Under Traditional Management, the reward need not be positive, that is, it might simply consist in the negation of some previously existing disadvantage. It need not be predetermined. It might be nothing definite. It might not be so set ahead that the man might look forward to it. In other words it might simply be the outcome of the good, and in no wise the incentive for the good. It need not necessarily be personal. It could be shared with a group, or gang, and lose all feeling of personality. It need not be a fixed reward or a fixed performance; in fact, if the management were Traditional it would be almost impossible that it would be a fixed reward. It might not be an assured reward, and in most cases it was not a prompt reward. These fixed adjectives describe the reward of Scientific Management--positive, predetermined, personal, fixed, assured and prompt. A few of these might apply, or none might apply to the reward under Traditional Management. REWARD A PRIZE WON BY ONE ONLY.--If this reward, whether promotion or pay, was given to someone under Traditional Management, this usually meant that others thereby lost it; it was in the nature of a prize which one only could attain, and which the others, therefore, would lose, and such a lost prize is, to the average man, for the time at least, a dampener on action. The rewarding of the winner, to the loss of all of the losers, has been met by the workmen getting together secretly, and selecting the winners for a week or more ahead, thus getting the same reward out of the employer without the extra effort. PUNISHMENT UNDER TRADITIONAL MANAGEMENT WRONG IN THEORY.--The punishment, under Traditional Management, was usually much more than negative punishment; that is to say, the man who was punished usually received much more than simply the negative return of getting no reward. The days of bodily punishment have long passed, yet the account of the beatings given to the galley slaves and to other workers in the past are too vividly described in authentic accounts to be lost from memory. To-day, under Traditional Management, punishment consists of
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1. Chapter 1 2. CHAPTER I PAGE 3. CHAPTER II 4. CHAPTER III 5. CHAPTER IV 6. CHAPTER V 7. CHAPTER VI 8. CHAPTER VII 9. CHAPTER VIII 10. CHAPTER IX 11. CHAPTER X 12. CHAPTER I 13. 1. Management is a life study of every man who works with other 14. 2. A knowledge of the underlying laws of management is the most 15. 3. This knowledge is to be had _now_. The men who have it are 16. 4. The psychology of, that is, the mind's place in management is 17. 5. It is a division well fitted to occupy the attention of the 18. introduction to psychology and to management, can suggest the 19. 2. what we have defined as the "Transitory" plan of 20. 3. management which not only is not striving to be 21. 4. the distinctive name is the Taylor Plan of Management. 22. 1. To enumerate the underlying principles on which scientific 23. 2. To show in how far the other two types of management vary 24. 3. To discuss the psychological aspect of each principle. 25. 1. The relation of Scientific Management to the other types 26. 3. The relation between the various elements of Scientific 27. 4. The psychology of management in general, and of the three 28. 9. Welfare. 29. 2. Appearance and importance of the idea in Traditional and 30. 3. Appearance and importance of the idea in Scientific 31. 4. Elements of Scientific Management which show the effects 32. 5. Results of the idea upon work and workers. 33. 3. Contrary to a widespread belief that Scientific Management 34. 4. Scientific Management fosters individuality by 35. 5. Measurement, in Scientific Management, is of ultimate 36. 6. These measured ultimate units are combined into methods of 37. 7. Standardization under Scientific Management applies to all 38. 8. The accurate records of Scientific Management make 39. 9. Through the teaching of Scientific Management the 40. 10. The method of teaching of Scientific Management is a 41. 11. Incentives under Scientific Management not only stimulate 42. 12. It is for the ultimate as well as immediate welfare of 43. 13. Scientific Management is applicable to all fields of 44. 14. Scientific Management is applicable to self-management as 45. 15. It teaches men to coöperate with the management as well 46. 17. The psychological element of Scientific Management is the 47. 18. Because Scientific Management is psychologically right it 48. 19. This psychological study of Scientific Management 49. 20. Scientific Management simultaneously 50. 2. Halbert P. Gillette, Paper No. 1, American Society of 51. 6. F.W. Taylor, _Shop Management_, para. 16, Am. Soc. M.E., Paper 52. 9. Morris Llewellyn Cooke, _Bulletin No. 5 of the Carnegie 53. 10. F.W. Taylor, _Shop Management_, para. 234, Am. Soc. M.E., Paper 54. 13. Henry R. Towne, Introduction to _Shop Management_. (Harper & 55. 14. F.W. Taylor, _Principles of Scientific Management_, p. 123. 56. 16. F.W. Taylor, _Principles of Scientific Management_, p. 137. 57. CHAPTER II 58. 1. The importance of the study of the individual, and the 59. 2. The difficulty of the study, and the necessity for great 60. 3. The necessity of considering any one individual trait as 61. 4. The importance of the individual as distinct from the 62. 1. The work is more specialized, hence requires more 63. 2. With standardized methods comes a knowledge to the 64. 3. Motion study, in its investigation of the worker, supplies 65. 1. By psychological and physiological study of workers under 66. 2. By scientific study of the worker made before he comes 67. 1. Determining the capabilities of the boy, that is, seeing 68. 2. Determining the possibilities of his securing work in the 69. 11. Rewards must be prompt and provided for all 70. 12. Appreciation must be shown.[11] 71. 2. It is prepared for the particular individual who is 72. 1. When, where, how, and how much is individuality 73. 2. What consideration is given to the relation of the mind to 74. 3. What is the relative emphasis on consideration of 75. 6. What is the effect toward causing or bringing about 76. 9. L.B. Blan, _A Special Study of the Incidence of Retardation_, 77. 11. F.B. Gilbreth, _Cost Reducing System_, Chap. III. 78. CHAPTER III 79. 4. What are the results to the worker? 80. 9. Good health. 81. 1. That the position will be best filled by a very high and 82. 2. That the man is forced to use every atom of all of his 83. 3. That in many cases the work assigned for him to do calls 84. 4. That psychology tells us that a man fitted to perform some 85. 11. poor investigation of workers' special capabilities. 86. 4. assigning competent workers to fitting work. 87. 8. quantity of additional pay that shall be given for doing it. 88. 1. coöperation with the management in obtaining the prescribed 89. 2. the exercise of their ingenuity in making improvements 90. 3. the fitting of themselves for higher pay and promotion. 91. 4. Disciplinarian 92. 8. Inspector 93. 2. a good observer, able to note minute variations of method, 94. 3. a good teacher. 95. 1. the particular place in the field of knowledge in which 96. 2. the change in the type of criticism expected from the 97. 3. the far greater emphasis placed on duties as a teacher. 98. 6. an offense against the system (disobeying orders), falling 99. 1. in doing the work itself, as will be shown at length in 100. 2. outside of the regular working hours, but in connection 101. 2. Decide whether the place can be best handled as one, or 102. 2. the long time job. 103. 5. Gillette and Dana, _Cost Keeping and Management Engineering_, 104. 7. F.W. Taylor, _Shop Management_, para. 221-231. Harper Ed., 105. 12. For excellent example of special routing see: Charles Day, 106. 13. C. Babbage, _Economy of Manufacturers_. p. 172. "The constant 107. 14. F.W. Taylor, _On the Art of Cutting Metals_, Paper No. 1119, 108. 15. C.G. Barth, _Slide Rules for Machine Shops and Taylor System_. 109. 17. Adam Smith, _Wealth of Nations_, p. 2. "The greatest improvement 110. 18. H.K. Hathaway, _The Value of "Non-Producers" in Manufacturing 111. 19. Gillette and Dana, _Cost Keeping and Management Engineering_, 112. 20. Morris Llewellyn Cooke, _Bulletin No. 5, Carnegie Foundation for 113. 21. H.L. Gantt, _Work, Wages and Profits_, p. 120. 114. CHAPTER IV 115. 1. The student will discover, in the books on experimental 116. 2. He will receive priceless instruction in methods of 117. 4. What accurate measurement determines his 118. 3. time for overcoming delays. 119. 3. be willing to coöperate. 120. 2. that all get an ample compensation for what 121. 3. that under them general welfare is considered; 122. 2. the length of time required for a worker to do a 123. 3. the amount of rest and the time of rest required to 124. 3. how best to use them. 125. 4. furnish resulting timed elements to the synthesizer 126. 1. The maintained tension on a belt bears a close relation to 127. 2. The speed of a buzz planer determines its liability to 128. 2. what function it will be best to assign them to and to 129. 2. ability to assign men to the work which they should do, to 130. 3. ability to predict. On this ability to predict rests the 131. 2. The worker's judgment is appealed to. The method that he uses 132. 3. The worker's reasoning powers are developed. Continuous 133. 4. The worker fits his task, therefore there is no need of 134. 5. There is elimination of soldiering, both natural and 135. 1. The worker will become more and more willing to impart his 136. 2. G.M. Stratton, _Experimental Psychology and Its Bearing upon 137. 4. For apparatus for psychological experiment see Stratton, p. 38, 138. 6. Morris Llewellyn Cooke, Bulletin No. 5, _The Carnegie Foundation 139. 12. F.W. Taylor, _Shop Management_, pp. 398-391. Harper Ed., p. 179. 140. 13. President's Annual Address, Dec., 1906. Vol. 28, Transactions 141. 15. R.T. Dana, For Construction Service Co., _Handbook of Steam 142. 20. F.W. Taylor, _Shop Management_, para. 46. Harper Ed., p. 30. 143. CHAPTER V 144. 3. how many elements that it contains are likely to be 145. 4. how many new elements that it contains are likely to be 146. 5. the probable cost of the work after it has been studied-- 147. 6. The loss, if any, from delaying the work until after it 148. 7. the availability of trained observers and measurers, 149. 8. the available money for carrying on the investigations. 150. 2. "labor imposed, especially a definite quantity or amount 151. 3. "a lesson to be learned; a portion of study imposed by a 152. 5. "burdensome employment; toil." 153. 1. The tools and surrounding conditions with which the work 154. 3. The time that the work shall take is scientifically 155. 5. The quality of the output is prescribed. 156. 1. law of no ratio between the foot-pounds of work done and 157. 3. law of classification of work according to percentage of 158. 6. laws that will predict the right speed, feed and cut on 159. 7. laws for predicting maximum quantity of output that a man 160. 8. laws for determining the selection of the men best suited 161. 1. Compare _Mechanical Analysis_. Taylor and Thompson, _Concrete, 162. 9. London, _Engineering_, Sept. 15, 1911. 163. CHAPTER VI 164. 1. to analyze the best practice known into the smallest 165. 4. to synthesize the necessary standard elements into 166. 1. that all management data would be available to 167. 2. that such data, being available also to all standardizers, 168. 4. that, from a study and comparison of the collected data a 169. 8. All of these various savings could be invested in more 170. 9. These more valuable results would again be available to 171. 1. for use as records of successful methods which may be 172. 2. for use by the instruction card clerk in explaining to 173. 3. What to Do. 174. 2. Qualities of Products. 175. 3. Clearing up. This is the only type used by Scientific 176. 1. Because they directly increase output by eliminating 177. 2. Because all surroundings suggest an easy achievement. Knowing 178. 1. It gives the worker immediate knowledge of the prescribed 179. 2. He does not have to worry as to the maximum variation that 180. 3. There is no fear of criticism or discharge for using his 181. 2. The idea of perfection is not involved in the standard of 182. 6. For desirability of standard signals see R.T. Dana, _Handbook of 183. 8. F.W. Taylor, _Shop Management,_ para. 285, Harper Ed., 184. 14. Charles Babbage, _On the Economy of Machinery and Manufactures_, 185. 16. F.A. Parkhurst, _Applied Methods of Scientific Management, 186. 17. H.L. Gantt, paper 928, A.S.M.E., para. 15. 187. CHAPTER VII 188. 3. Increase efficiency. 189. 1. The necessity of having more accurate records of the 190. 2. The necessity for so training the worker, before, as well 191. 2. the work as it is planned out by the managers, and handed 192. 2. to route the worker to the placed materials. 193. 4. Conscious record, conscious programme. 194. 10. Standardized record, standardized programme. 195. 1. One of a gang, unconscious 196. 2. Individual output,--standardized 197. 1. Gillette and Dana, _Cost Keeping and Management Engineering_, 198. 3. Gillette and Dana, _Cost Keeping and Management Engineering_, 199. 5. William James, _Psychology, Briefer Course_, p. 179. 200. CHAPTER VIII 201. 1. "to point out, direct, show;" "to tell, inform, instruct, 202. 3. "to impart knowledge or practical skill to;" "to guide in 203. 1. In that he is required to render reasons in writing for 204. 2. That, as soon as work is placed on the bonus basis, the 205. 2. Teaching of right habits of doing the right methods. 206. 2. Worker has no opportunity under the old industrial 207. 5. Right habits can be instilled. 208. 5. The Management. } 209. 1. Written, by means of 210. 3. Object-lessons: 211. 4. The instruction comes at the exact time that the learner 212. 3. from actual practice in teaching. 213. 10. develops the will. 214. 2. read to oneself aloud--eyes and ears appealed to, also 215. 4. read aloud to one and also read silently by one,-- 216. 5. read aloud, and at the same time copied--eyes, ears, 217. 7. read to one while process is performed by oneself 218. 1. right motions first, that is to say,--the right number 219. 2. speed of motions second, that is to say, constantly 220. 3. constantly improving quality.[25] 221. 2. "The particular one of having images which are not 222. 4. mixed. 223. 3. that he may be sure of advancement with age and 224. 4. that he is sure of the "square deal." 225. 3. Competition with the standard record. 226. 1. During working hours, where the recognition of his 227. 2. Outside the work. He has, under Scientific Management, more 228. 1. A collection of knowledge relating in its entirety to the 229. 2. A definite procedure, that will enable the learner to 230. 12. Opportunities and demands for "thinking" 231. 16. Resultant happiness of worker. 232. 2. H.K. Hathaway, _Prerequisites to the Introduction of Scientific 233. 6. F.W. Taylor, _Shop Management_, para. 289, Harper Ed., 234. 8. W.D. Ennis, _An Experiment in Motion Study, Industrial 235. 9. C.S. Myers, M.D., _An Introduction to Experimental Psychology_, 236. 12. F.B. Gilbreth, _Bricklaying System_, chap. I, _Training of 237. 19. Imbert, _Etudes experimentales de travail professionnel ouvrier, 238. 21. _Ibid._, p. 138. William James, Psychology, Advanced Course. 239. 24. Prof. Bain, quoted In William James' _Psychology, Briefer 240. 30. Attracting the attention is largely a matter of appealing to 241. 39. M.S. Read, _An Introductory Psychology_, pp. 212-213. William 242. 51. For example, see W.D. Scott's _Increasing Efficiency in 243. 52. R.A. Bray, _Boy Labor and Apprenticeship_, chap. II, especially 244. 53. Wilfred Lewis, _Proceedings of the Congress of Technology_, 245. 56. For value of personality see J.W. Jenks's, _Governmental Action 246. 58. Compare with the old darkey, who took her sons from a Northern 247. 61. Morris Llewellyn Cooke, _Bulletin No. 5_ of _The Carnegie 248. 62. A well known athlete started throwing a ball at his son in 249. 63. Meyer Bloomfield, _The Vocational Guidance of Youth_, Houghton 250. 64. A. Pimloche, _Pestalozzi and the Foundation of the Modern 251. 65. Friedrich Froebel, _Education of Man_, "To secure for this 252. CHAPTER IX 253. 1. fines, which are usually simply a cutting down of wages, 254. 3. assignment to less pleasant or less desirable work. 255. 8. Professional standing. 256. 9. coöperative work 257. 3. industrial coöperation. These are defined and discussed at 258. 5. F.W. Taylor, _Shop Management_, para. 310-311, Harper Ed., 259. 6. See also C.U. Carpenter, _Profit Making in Shop and Factory 260. CHAPTER X 261. 3. physical development. 262. 2. Habits, under Scientific Management, 263. 3. Physical development 264. 1. As for habits we must consider 265. 2. General mental development is provided for by the experience 266. 1. Personal responsibility is developed by 267. 2. Responsibility for others is provided for by the 268. 3. Appreciation of standing is fostered by 269. 4. Self-control is developed by 270. 5. "Squareness." This squareness is exemplified first of all by 271. 1. Contentment is the outgrowth of the personal responsibility, 272. 2. The idea of brotherhood is fostered particularly through the 273. 3. The "will to do" is so fostered by Scientific Management that 274. 1. It will educate the worker to the point where workers will 275. 2. It will aid the cause of Industrial Peace. 276. 6. See remarkable work of Dr. A. Imbert, _Evaluation de la Capacite 277. 7. Clark and Wyatt, Macmillan, pp. 269-270. 278. introduction of new, 137.

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