6. To teach every member of the organization to conserve his working powers.
The Time and Place of Making the Survey.
The survey should be made as soon as plans for making it are completed, and before any changes in the actual practice are made. If there is any idea of changing the type of management, it may well be made even before such a change is thoroughly outlined. It is the first step to be taken by any organization which is thinking of introducing the scientific type of management. The entire “plant” should be surveyed. The work should start where there is the most fatigue, and where the greatest amount of good can be done immediately. This, for several reasons; such as:
1. The largest amount of waste can thus be eliminated.
2. The co-operation of the workers will be most quickly gained. This will be true not only of the workers actually studied, but of all of the workers in the organization. They will appreciate the attitude of the new management, and will be glad to help if they can see the actual benefit from the start.
3. The survey maker will become encouraged as he sees his data successfully used.
4. The survey, if made by an amateur, will help him when he attacks more difficult problems.
If the survey maker is an amateur, he had best begin where working conditions most demand betterment. It is simpler to record working conditions than to describe the worker or the method by which the work is done. A really adequate record of a worker requires a knowledge of physiology and psychology. An adequate record of method requires an expert knowledge of motion study. A preliminary record of fatigue of all sorts may be made by an amateur. He had best, however, get his practice in recording working conditions. Moreover, it will be best to observe a worker who is known to be co-operative at the start. The co-operation of the worker is the most important element in getting accurate records. Such workers will also help from the start to suggest or invent devices for eliminating fatigue, if they are started thinking along these lines. Later, one can handle the non-co-operative as one becomes more practised, and there is always the likelihood that, by the time one gets to these at first non-co-operative workers, their attitude will have been changed by the good results and the general sympathy towards the fatigue survey.
The Qualification of the Survey Maker.
The survey maker must be an accurate observer. He must be able to see what the conditions really are, and to describe and record what he sees in simple, clear language that will enable others to understand what he says. The survey may be made by any one of several types of survey maker: