The Psychology of Management by Lillian Moller Gilbreth

There are only a few of the possible combinations, any of which are used, as best suits the worker and the work.[17] UNTRAINED WORKER REQUIRES APPEAL TO MOST SENSES.--The value of appeal to many senses is best realized in teaching an inexperienced worker. His senses help to remind him what to do, and to "check up" his results. AT TIMES APPEAL TO BUT ONE SENSE PREFERABLE.--In the case of work that must be watched constantly, and that involves continuous processes, it may prove best to have directions read to the worker. So also, the Gang Instruction Card may often be read to advantage to the gang, thus allowing the next member of a group of members to rest, or to observe, while directions are taken in through the ears only. In this way time is allowed to overcome fatigue, yet the work is not halted. AT TIMES ONE SENSE IS BEST NOT UTILIZED.--At times teaching may well omit one sense in its appeal, because that sense will tend to confuse the learning, and will, when the method is learned, be otherwise utilized than it could be during the learning process. In teaching the "touch system" of typewriting,[18] the position of the keys is quickly remembered by having the key named aloud and at the same time struck with the assigned finger, the eyes being blindfolded. Thus hearing is utilized, also mouth muscles and finger muscles, but _not_ sight. IMPORTANCE OF FATIGUE RECOGNIZED.--A large part of the success of sense appeal and sense training of Scientific Management is in the appreciation of the importance of fatigue. This was early recognized by Dr. Taylor, and is constantly receiving study from all those interested in Scientific Management. PSYCHOLOGY ALREADY AIDING THE INDUSTRIES IN SUCH STUDY.--Study of the _Psychological Review_ will demonstrate the deep and increasing interest of psychologists in the subject of fatigue. The importance of such stimulating and helpful work as that done by Doctor A. Imbert of the University of Montpellier, France, is great.[19] Not only are the results of his investigations commercially valuable, but also they are valuable as indicating the close connection between Psychology and Industrial Efficiency. IMPORTANCE OF HABITS.[20]--Prof. William James says "an acquired habit, from the psychological point of view, is nothing but a new pathway of discharge formed in the brain, by which certain incoming currents ever after tend to escape." And again,--"First, habit simplifies our movements, makes them accurate, and diminishes fatigue,"[21] and habit diminishes the conscious attention with which our acts are performed. Again he says, page 144, "The great thing, then, in all education, is to make our nervous system our ally instead of an enemy; as it is to fund and capitalize our acquisitions, and live at ease upon the interest of the fund. For this we must make automatic and habitual, as early as possible, as many useful actions as we can, and guard against the growing into ways that are likely to be disadvantageous to us, as we should guard against the plague." These quotations demonstrate the importance of habit. How deep these paths of discharge are, is illustrated by the fact that often a German, having spent the early years of his school life in Germany, will, even after learning to speak, read, write and think in English, find it difficult to figure in anything but German. HABIT EASILY BECOMES THE MASTER.--Another illustration of the power of habit is exhibited by the bricklayer, who has been trained under old-time methods, and who attempts to follow the packet method. The standard motions for picking up the upper row of bricks from the packet are entirely different from those for picking up the lower row. The bricklayers were taught this, yet invariably used the old-time motions for picking up the bricks, in spite of the waste involved.[22] WRONG PRECONCEIVED IDEAS HAMPER DEVELOPMENT.--Wrong habits or ideas often retard development. For example, it took centuries for artists to see the colors of shadows correctly, because they were sure that such shadows were a darker tone of the color itself.[23] TEACHING UNDER SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT RESULTS IN GOOD HABITS.--The aim of teaching under Scientific Management, as has been said, is to create good habits of thinking and good habits of doing. STANDARDS LEAD TO RIGHT METHODS OF THINKING AND ACTING.--The standards of Scientific Management, as presented to the worker in the instruction card, lead to good habits, in that they present the best known method of doing the work. They thus aid the beginner, in that he need waste no time searching for right methods, but can acquire right habits at once. They aid the worker trained under an older, supplanted method, in that they wage a winning war against old-time, worn-out methods and traditions. Old motor images, which tend to cause motions, are overcome by standard images, which suggest, and pass into, standard motions. The spontaneous recurring of images under the old method is the familiar cause of inattention and being unable to get down to business, and the real cause of the expression, "You can't teach old dogs new tricks." On the other hand, the spontaneous recurrence of the images of the standard method is the cause of greater speed of movement of the experienced man, and these images of the standard methods do recur often enough to drive down the old images and to enable all men who desire, to settle down and concentrate upon what they are doing. THROUGH STANDARDS BAD HABITS ARE QUICKEST BROKEN.--Through the standards the bad habit is broken by the abrupt acquisition of a new habit. This is at once practiced, is practiced without exception, and is continually practiced until the new habit is in control.[24] THROUGH STANDARDS NEW HABITS ARE QUICKEST FORMED.--These same standards, as presented in teaching, allow of the speediest forming of habits, in that repetition is exact and frequent, and is kept so by the fact that the worker's judgment seconds that of the teacher. HABITS ARE INSTILLED BY TEACHING.--The chief function of the teacher during the stage that habits are being formed is the instilling of good habits. METHODS OF INSTILLING GOOD HABITS.--This he does by insisting on