As a rule, the writer has found that those who were growling the most,
and were loudest in asserting that they ought to be doing the whole
thing, were only one-half or one-quarter performing their own particular
functions. This desire to do every one's else work in addition to their
own generally disappears when they are held to strict account in their
particular line, and are given enough work to keep them hustling.
There are many people who will disapprove of the whole scheme of a
planning department to do the thinking for the men, as well as a number
of foremen to assist and lead each man in his work, on the ground that
this does not tend to promote independence, self-reliance, and
originality in the individual. Those holding this view, however, must
take exception to the whole trend of modern industrial development; and
it appears to the writer that they overlook the real facts in the case.
It is true, for instance, that the planning room, and functional
foremanship, render it possible for an intelligent laborer or helper in
time to do much of the work now done by a machinist. Is not this a good
thing for the laborer and helper? He is given a higher class of work,
which tends to develop him and gives him better wages. In the sympathy
for the machinist the case of the laborer is overlooked. This sympathy
for the machinist is, however, wasted, since the machinist, with the aid
of the new system, will rise to a higher class of work which he was
unable to do in the past, and in addition, divided or functional
foremanship will call for a larger number of men in this class, so that
men, who must otherwise have remained machinists all their lives, will
have the opportunity of rising to a foremanship.
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