1: Increasing Human Efficiency
Writing in the early industrial revolution, Scott considers the businessman to be "the true heir of the old magicians" who, by use of industrial techniques, is able to produce a multitude of finished products from a fraction of the labor it took to manufacture them by older methods. The spell he uses to conjure such a bounty is simply "efficiency."
The products available in his time are wondrous compared to those of just a few decades prior, and more wondrous still is the quality, quantity, cheapness, and availability of such fine things. At no other time in history has there been such astounding progress in such a short period of time.
Attention is drawn to the material and mechanical side of production and distribution - in things that are easy to see and to measure. A machine can be seen to work, its speed and output measured, and any improvements easily appreciated. But it is not so easy to see the human factor: the cause for the speed and efficiency of the human worker remains invisible.
Factors such as strength and endurance, which can easily be measured, are taken into account. But the mind of the worker, which drives his body, is invisible - and as it cannot be observed, it is very often ignored.
(EN: a century later, we face the same problem - which is the reason for my interest in the present author's ideas on the subject.)
Of the elements involved in production and distribution, the human factor is the most serious problem confronting the businessman. Workers must be studied trained, and developed in order to play their part in the process of production - and because the factors that make a worker excel are invisible, it is difficult to select the right men, train them effectively, and manage them properly.
Experts in work management have made a scientific study of operations management. Frederick Taylor, credited as the father of scientific management, himself observed that "A first-class man can do from two to four times as much as is done on average" but was unable to explain how a first-class man can be identified, or how one can be made.
Ask the head of any business what is the first qualification of a foreman or manager, and he will tell you it is the ability to get the most out of those workers he supervises. And while this power is recognized in practice, it cannot be adequately described: it is treated as some quirk of his personality, an unexplainable magic that enables him to motivate men to do their best. No satisfactory explanation has yet been tendered.
It must be acknowledged that success in industry lies just as much in understanding the thoughts and motivation of people as it does in knowing the workings of machinery - for it is thinking and acting people who produce and purchase the products of industry.
But management has been both stupid and clumsy in approaching the human element in their operations. They follow the assumption that people are capable of working hard and attentively through long shifts for an infinite amount of time. They consider fatigue and inattentiveness, but regard them as character flaws - maintaining that it is merely a lack of will that prevents workers from having infinite strength, infinite stamina, and infinite interest in their work.
Taylor began to explore the physical capacities of man - how much work could be done for what period of time before exhaustion sapped their reserves. But even that was only a partial explanation, as it can be observed that two men working at the same task fro the same period of time would accomplish a different level of quantity and quality of work.
Scott mentions his observation and experiments in athletics. Any casual observer can regard how the efforts of an athlete diminish over time, and swapping in fresh and rested men can improve the performance of the team. He implies that what often determines victory in a game is the team that is best able to maintain the strength and stamina of the players on the field. Training may improve a player's skill, and coaching him suggest the need for action, but it is the physical and mental capacities of the player that enable him to perform those actions he knows how to do.
It is also witnessed, on the field of play, how a good coach can get players to redouble their efforts - even those who appear to be completely exhausted can find it in themselves to place more effort in the game. Scott claims that he noticed increases "as much as fifty percent" (EN: the methodology is not disclosed, so how the "effort" was measured is a bit specious, but it cannot be denied that a "pep talk" can re-invigorate those who seem exhausted - suggesting fatigue has both mental and physical components.) but he concedes that, at a given point of physical exhaustion, coaching ceased to be effective. He mentions the notion of "second wind," when an athlete can increase performance after appearing to be worn out.
He draws a comparison to animals: a horse can be encouraged to run faster by use of a whip, but there comes a point where the beast can give no more and the whip does nothing to increase his pace. Moreover, men are more intelligent than horses, and will not run themselves to death - but stop at a point where they feel that they have no more to give.
He also mentions the concept of "warming up," in that neither man nor beast sets upon a task with his highest level of efficiency and effectiveness, but begins at a more moderate pace before he can produce at a faster rate without losing attentiveness to the quality of his work.
Scott draws a parallel between fitness of the mind and fitness of the body - both become stronger and more efficient with constant use, and weaker when they fall into disuse. He reflects on his experience as a college advisor, during which time he found the students who carried the lightest load of courses seemed to struggle the most, whereas those who carried the greatest number of courses and assumed other duties seemed to carry the burden with ease.
He strays through a number of additional observations:
- People seem more tired by a slow walk than a brisk one of the same distance
- People who live in cold or hot climates become accustomed to them
- People who use stimulants find it difficult to gain energy without them
- People tend to eat more than is necessary to maintain their bodies because they are accustomed to consuming more than they need, and general achieve an equilibrium weight rather than gaining weight constantly
With this in mind, he considers that there is a "right" level of work to which men become accustomed that is greater than generally believed, though there is still a limit to human capacity. He posits that it is more dangerous to "underwork" a person by engaging them in pursuits that are not mentally challenging.
Morale is also a significant factor, as men apply themselves with greater vigor and diligence to work when they perceive its value and take pride in their accomplishments. He suggests that many men who have accomplished great things are those of moderate ability, but who found passion in the purpose of their work.
"Most of us are whiling away our days and occupying positions far below our possibilities," he suggests, and that very few businesses make the best use of people who have the potential to be first-class workers. It is not in using their bodies too much, but their minds too little, that inefficiencies arise. Given sufficient challenge, men will rise to the occasion.