Garrington Emerson and his 12 principles of productivity

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The concept of labor productivity means the most efficient ratio of costs to performance results. This concept was introduced into science by Harrington Emerson. Management as a science began to develop rapidly after the discovery of this term and the beginning of its study. The issue of increasing labor productivity is still very acute at many enterprises, and many managers are looking for ways to increase this indicator.

Garrington Emerson: biography

G. Emerson (years of life - 1853-1931) studied in Munich and was a mechanical engineer by profession. For a short period of time he was a lecturer at a university in Nebraska (USA), and also took an active part in the construction of mountain complexes in Alaska, Mexico and the United States of America.

Also engaged in the construction of roads, ships, laid a telegraph cable. Emerson also planned to build a submarine.

Throughout his youth, G. Emerson traveled around Europe, and with age, when he became a fairly well-known personality in management, he came to the Soviet Union and thereappreciated the achievements of the Russian people in production and management of the production process.

Career and scientific activity of G. Emerson

In 1903, Emerson was invited to work as an adviser to a railroad company. In 1910 there was a dispute between the railroad company and freight forwarders. The railroad company claimed to have very high payroll costs and wanted to raise rates. However, Harrington Emerson was able to prove that, by using various scientific methods, a railway company could reduce its costs by one million dollars every day. Thus the company failed.

Also Mr. Emerson was a well-known entrepreneur and writer. In his book The 12 Principles of Productivity, Emerson Harrington revealed the basic postulates with which you can greatly increase the efficiency of work. This work is known throughout the world. However, studying it, it must be remembered that Harrington Emerson worked on his work in a different era, with a completely different social and economic level of development of society.

Harrington Emerson's contribution to management

G. Emerson made a huge contribution to the development of management. He believed that with the right management of labor productivity, you can achieve the highest results at the lowest cost. Intense and hard work can help achieve good results only in abnormal working conditions. Emerson stated that labor productivity and stress are very different concepts. If an employee is working hard, thenit means that he makes the best possible effort. And to work productively, you need to make the smallest effort. And the goal of management is precisely to minimize effort and maximize results.

The scientist made a huge contribution to the development of management, discovering the 12 principles of productivity known to this day. Emerson Harrington coined the term "labor productivity" as a foundation for work improvement.

Summary of key principles for increasing labor productivity

Garrington Emerson identified the following 12 core performance principles:

1. Properly set goals. Working in a team and performing any work, it is necessary that each person has precisely set goals and objectives. This will help to make the work coherent and avoid various problems and malfunctions.
2. Common sense. The leader is obliged to exclude any emotions from his work, he must study and analyze the production process only from the standpoint of common sense. This will help draw the right conclusions and develop perspectives for further action.
3. Competent advice and consultation. Practical and competent advice is needed on all issues that have arisen in the production and management process. The only truly competent opinion is the peer opinion.
4. Discipline and order. All participants in the production process must follow the order and adhere to the established rules.



5. Fair and impartial treatment of employees. Any manager should treat his employees fairly, not single out anyone, but also not oppress anyone.
6. Prompt, accurate, complete and continuous accounting. This principle allows the manager to receive all the necessary and most complete information about his employees and the production process in time, which allows him to make decisions quickly.
7. Scheduling. Thanks to this principle, the manager is able to clearly and quickly manage and coordinate the work of the entire work team.
8. Principles and schedules. By applying this principle, it is possible to highlight all the shortcomings of the production process and minimize all the damage caused by these shortcomings.
9. Establishing working conditions. Such working conditions at the enterprise should be created for the employee, under which the result from his activity will be maximum.
10. Rationing of work operations. Using this principle, the required amount of time for each operation is established, as well as the sequence in which they are performed.
11. Standard written instructions. In production, certain instructions and rules regarding the procedure for performing various work must be fixed in writing.



12. Performance Award. As part of this principle, it is established that each employee must be encouraged for a job well done, then his productivity will steadily increase.

Currently, G. Emerson's principles of productivity improvement are being applied very successfully in industrial andmanufacturing enterprises. These principles have been used by top leaders for many years to improve employee performance.