Development during the Industrial Revolution.
The impetus for the Industrial Revolution developed by the seventeenth
century. Agricultural methods had improved in Europe to the extent that
surpluses were generated. These surpluses were used for trade. Trade
routes were by this time expanding, on a global scale, including those
to the East and the Americas to the West
Technical advances were being made, most importantly in textile manufacturing,
notably in the eighteenth century, Hargreaves's spinning jenny, Arkwright's
water frame and Compton's mule. The steam engine first developed in 1698
by Thomas Savory, was harnessed by James Watt. Improved hygiene and diet, including the boiling of water to make tea (from the East,)
led to expanding populations.
These factors, technological developments, expanding trade/ markets,
growing populations created opportunities for merchants and entrepreneurs
to invest in new factories. This was the beginning of the Industrial
Revolution. With it came the need to improve work methods, quality, and
Productivity.
The Factory System
Adam Smith, in the eighteenth century, advocated making work efficient
by means of specialization. He advocated breaking the work down into
simple tasks. He saw three advantages of the division of labor
the development of skills type the saving of time the possibility of using specialized tools.
Following on rapidly from Smith changes in the process of manufacturing
developed.
After the War of Independence, there was a shortage of musket parts
in the United States. Eli Whitney proposed the manufacturing of muskets
by means of using interchangeable parts. Though the idea was viewed with
initial skepticism, his process was successful in producing large quantities
of interchangeable parts. Thus was born the process of tooling up for
production. At this time Whitney developed and used techniques such as
cost accounting and quality control.
Records from the Soho Bell Foundry in Chelsea, around the same time
as Whitney, reveal evidence of the use of production standards, cost
control, work study and incentives.
In 1832, Charles Babbage, an engineer, philosopher and researcher, examined
the division of labor in his book On the Economy of Machinery and
Manufacturers.His work raised important questions about production,
organizations and economics.
Division of Labor
One factor, crucial in the latter development of incentives, Babbage
proposed, as an advantage of the division of labor, that the amount of
skill needed to undertake a specialized task was only the skill necessary
to complete that task. He illustrated this concept by breaking down the
manufacture of a pin, into seven elements.
The important implication for employers was that they need only pay
for the amount of skill necessary to complete each individual task. He
advocated breaking down jobs into elements and costing each element.
In this way, potential savings from investments in training, process
and methods could be quantified.
Thus these developments presaged the machine age, replacing traditional
manual labor and improving productivity.
Machines were located near sources of power, first water
later coal for steam.
Large concentrations of machines were gathered in one
place under one roof in the factories.
This required large numbers of people, who came together
to work these machines and in the distribution of the outputs from
the factories.
Thus the management functions of control, planning and coordination
were required to be studied in order to further.
Other important developments
Probably the first attempt at formally timing work was in 1760 when
a Frenchman, Jean Radolphe Perronet, studied the manufacture of pins
and attempted to establish standard times for various operations.
Documents have been found relating to the Old Derby China works for
the year 1792 in which a Mr. Thomas Mason pledged himself to undertake
time studies in the factory and to undertake his work conscientiously
and diligently.
At the turn of the century the problems of layout and method were studied
by Robert Owen. Owen's work at the New Lanark Mills was revolutionary
at the time. Through experimentation, he succeeded in raising the living
conditions of his workers whilst reorganizing his mills on commercial
principles. Robert Owen is credited with being the first to recognize fatigue and
the work environment as factors affecting the performance of factory
workers
The impetus for the Industrial Revolution developed by the seventeenth
century. Agricultural methods had improved in Europe to the extent that
surpluses were generated. These surpluses were used for trade. Trade
routes were by this time expanding, on a global scale, including those
to the East and the Americas to the West
Technical advances were being made, most importantly in textile manufacturing,
notably in the eighteenth century, Hargreaves's spinning jenny, Arkwright's
water frame and Compton's mule. The steam engine first developed in 1698
by Thomas Savory, was harnessed by James Watt. Improved hygiene and diet, including the boiling of water to make tea (from the East,)
led to expanding populations.
These factors, technological developments, expanding trade/ markets,
growing populations created opportunities for merchants and entrepreneurs
to invest in new factories. This was the beginning of the Industrial
Revolution. With it came the need to improve work methods, quality, and
Productivity.
The Factory System
Adam Smith, in the eighteenth century, advocated making work efficient
by means of specialization. He advocated breaking the work down into
simple tasks. He saw three advantages of the division of labor
the development of skills type the saving of time the possibility of using specialized tools.
Following on rapidly from Smith changes in the process of manufacturing
developed.
After the War of Independence, there was a shortage of musket parts
in the United States. Eli Whitney proposed the manufacturing of muskets
by means of using interchangeable parts. Though the idea was viewed with
initial skepticism, his process was successful in producing large quantities
of interchangeable parts. Thus was born the process of tooling up for
production. At this time Whitney developed and used techniques such as
cost accounting and quality control.
Records from the Soho Bell Foundry in Chelsea, around the same time
as Whitney, reveal evidence of the use of production standards, cost
control, work study and incentives.
In 1832, Charles Babbage, an engineer, philosopher and researcher, examined
the division of labor in his book On the Economy of Machinery and
Manufacturers.His work raised important questions about production,
organizations and economics.
Division of Labor
One factor, crucial in the latter development of incentives, Babbage
proposed, as an advantage of the division of labor, that the amount of
skill needed to undertake a specialized task was only the skill necessary
to complete that task. He illustrated this concept by breaking down the
manufacture of a pin, into seven elements.
The important implication for employers was that they need only pay
for the amount of skill necessary to complete each individual task. He
advocated breaking down jobs into elements and costing each element.
In this way, potential savings from investments in training, process
and methods could be quantified.
Thus these developments presaged the machine age, replacing traditional
manual labor and improving productivity.
Machines were located near sources of power, first water
later coal for steam.
Large concentrations of machines were gathered in one
place under one roof in the factories.
This required large numbers of people, who came together
to work these machines and in the distribution of the outputs from
the factories.
Thus the management functions of control, planning and coordination
were required to be studied in order to further.
Other important developments
Probably the first attempt at formally timing work was in 1760 when
a Frenchman, Jean Radolphe Perronet, studied the manufacture of pins
and attempted to establish standard times for various operations.
Documents have been found relating to the Old Derby China works for
the year 1792 in which a Mr. Thomas Mason pledged himself to undertake
time studies in the factory and to undertake his work conscientiously
and diligently.
At the turn of the century the problems of layout and method were studied
by Robert Owen. Owen's work at the New Lanark Mills was revolutionary
at the time. Through experimentation, he succeeded in raising the living
conditions of his workers whilst reorganizing his mills on commercial
principles. Robert Owen is credited with being the first to recognize fatigue and
the work environment as factors affecting the performance of factory
workers
