Association of accuracy with slow work and inaccuracy with fast work often results i n misjudgment of the ability of employees i n the chemical industry
I
often believed that people who achieve results quickly are fast workers and that people who cannot do a job unless they are given plenty of time are slow workers. One also generally associates quick results with lack of thoroughness and show results with painstaking accuracy. Studies, however, have revealed that neither speed nor accuracy but the way problems are approached is the determining factor in achieving good results quickly and that the psychological factor in human nature plays a more important part than is generally assumed. T 16
Mental attitude Some people do not have the ability to do several things a t one time unless they have acquired this habit by following a-routine for a long time. Others do not seem to be able to think clearly unless they can see a way of solving a problem completely; the problem looms in front of them like a mountain which they try to remove by taking stabs at it instead of trying t o find a pass through it. And there are people who cannot disengage themselves from following a
certain pass once they have started in that direction, although common sense tells them to follow another direction. Most common, however, is the man who cannot do “half a job”; he spends too much time with unnecessary details and, thus, is never able to organize matters in broad outlines, but continues working on one particular problem forever. One might also mention the employee who resents changes and always thinks of reasons why the status quo should be retained and the employee who becomes confused and/or develops an inferiority complex as soon as he cannot think of all the answers to a problem he is supposed t o solve. There is also the employee who does not take effective measures because he cannot please everybody; the one who is afraid to use new ideas because they are not traditional in his company; and the one who is unwilling t o sacrifice comfort or insists on conducting “business as usual.” Every experienced executive in the chemical industry knows the employee who resents making changes unless he sees an obvious advantage in every
Figure 1. Quick and Effioient Work
August 1952
phase of a new arrangement and the one who always thinks in terms of magic formulas for improvements but cannot pull himself together to work on the better execution of existing practices. Some people can only work in certain surroundings and others lose their productivity as soon as they are subject6d to pressure. Everyone unconsciously associates physical surroundings with certain mental attitudes, such as creative thinking and relaxation, The writer is reminded of one of his friends who had written a book, but all at once and for no obvious reason seemed to have lost his creative thinking ability. While discussing this matter with a psychologist, he mentioned briefly the fact that he had moved his easy chair from the living room to his study so that he could relax better. Through this measure he had lost both his associ‘ation with relaxation in the living room and his association with work in his study. When this was explained to him he realized the importance of segregating work and play and rearranged his study again. He had no more trouble with creative thinking. The writer also remembers another associate who had an unpleasant experience in one of his company offices years ago and had built up such a resentment against this place that he asked for relocation of his office when he was assigned to the same office many years later. I n fact, the writer himself is subject to a similar weakness in this respect, being unable to concentrate when he smells potassium cyanide because he once had an unpleasant experience in an area where this chemical was used. The fact that many people cannot work efficiently when they are subjected to pressure is well known. Because older people generally stand up better under pressure than younger ones, it is often assumed that this is a matter of age. The (Continued on page 96 A )
INDUSTRIAL A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
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To dry starch for large scale production. T h e physical characteristics of starch make it difficult to dry. Dried too fast-or with temperatures that are too high-gelatinization results and the dispersibility of the starch in liquid is ruined.
With all of these factors to overcome, Proctor engineers recommended a system whereby starch is scored on a continuous rotary vacuum filter and dried in a continuous conveyor dryer. Drying time was reduced from 1 2 hours to a matter of minutes. N o gelatinization occurs and dried starch is cleaner, contains fewer im urities and has a better color than starch J i e d by any less recent method. Accurate control of final moisture content is assured. Another processing problem solved by
This processing problem was solved only by painstaking research. Exhaustive test work done, the Proctor laboratory in cooperation with the customer’s technicians netted conclusive results that were projected into full scale operation. So accurate was this work that the performance of drying systems was guaranteed in the sales contracts and the dryers were designed to dovetail right into the complete processing line. This approach to a processing problem is INTEGRATED ENGINEERING AT WORK! By lNTEGRATED ENGlNEERlNG we mean simply ths-
1. Sales engineers are available for con-
sultation. 2. A completely equipped experimental laboratory is available for test work at no cost o r obligation. 3. Engineering background and experience in drying equipment and its relation to associated processing equipment in the range. 4. Close cooperation between Proctor engineers and the customer’s technicians to bring about the solution to processing problems.
E With their l o n g background in designing and building precision drying machinery, Proctor engineers have acquired .a wide k n o w l e d g e of p r o c e s s i n equipment requirements. . . so that tofay Proctor & Schwartz actually offers a complete engineering-manufacturing facility ready to help you consider not only your drying equipment needs-but a complete range of related processing equipment. What is your processing machinery probl e m ? Let Proctor INTEGRATED ENGINEERING help speed your solution. 96 A
writer believes that this has to do with our educational system which has undergone drastic changes during the last 20 years. Pedagogic systems have changed to the extent that the number of subjects taught has been enlarged, and today more emphasis is given in our grade schools and high schools to relaxation and short working periods. This, undoubtedly. makes happier youngsters, but does not teach them to work when they are fatigued or subjected to pressure. On the other hand, the new educational system has the obvious advantage that the pupil is taught from the very beginning to think while studying under almost any surroundings and that it is not necessary to have absolute quietness in order t o concentrate. A look a t any high school grounds or university campus where young people do their homework on the lawn undistracted by traffic noise and other interruptions shows that early training for working in physical surroundings of any kind has its good points. Many executives in the chemical industry would have a hard time matching a college bov the writer saw recently; he solved a mathematical problem while his radio was tuned to a comedy program and was able to switch back and forth from his work t o listening to the program, obviously doing two things a t one time. The fact that his work quality might not have been very high is of little interest in this discussion. It is important, however, to recognize the fact that the ability to work under adverse conditions is a matter of early training and will power. The writer believes that industrial psychology, now only in its beginning, will some day be recognized as one of the most potent tools in executive training and method and system engineering. I n fact, he believes that the ability for men to produce is so dependent on their outlook that both technical knowledge and experience are of little value unless cornbined with a healthy mental attitude. If one observes people who work quickly and efficiently, one will notice that these people have a surprisingly common approach in solving their problems. Kind of assignment, difficulty of task, and magnitude of woik to be performed influence this approach to only a minor degree. People n h o work quickly and efficiently, for example, all have the ability to relieve themselves of unnecessary details. This can be done
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
Vol. 44, No. 8
in several ways. Only factors essential to the completion of the assignment are considi?red,and careful thought is given to the relative importance of various arrangenients in solving the entire problem. Any work that can be handled by employees is handed out and full use is made of every means of obtaining necessary information, even if it means admitting lack of knowledge in certain phases of one’s work. Problems are not worked out one by one in detail, but the practicability of an idea is established first, and details are left until later. This avoids the possibility of doing work which may have to be discarded. Efficient and quick workers know how to utilize their time. They know when to work and when to quit working and never derive satisfaction from the fact that they have worked hard, but only from measuring accomplishment. They always see the problem as a whole and invariably segregate their assignment into a few major problems instead of listing mentally all the various problems to be solved. A typical characteristic of people who workquickly andefficiently is that they ask pointed questions and expect precise answers. This enables them to select the most important phases of the job to be worked on first, to think ahead, to time work properly, and to start on a job only when the general approach to be followed is clear in their mind. Although making arrangements quickly and efficiently is a matter of training and experience, anyone can do a fairly good job by making use of some time-proved methods. For example, one can start a file for every major group of problems and list the individual problems on the inside cover. For every new problem a blank page is inserted in the file, and everything (including thoughts) pertaining to the subject is recorded. This makes it possible to check the progress of the entire problem a t any time, and ensures finger-tip control of the work that has been accomplished. Inexperienced peopleoften find it difficult to coordinate the various arrangements belonging to one group of problems or to an entire problem. The writer recommends thinking in terms of a wheel, the spokes of which must support the entire outer ring as shown in Figure 1. Correspondence concerning this oolumn will be forwarded prornptkp if addressed to t h e author, % Editor, INDUBTRIAJ. A N D ENOINEERINO CHEMISTRY, 1155-16th f k , X.W., Washington 6, D. C.
August 1952
HOW’S THIS FOR S E RVIC E Hewitt-Robins Pinch-Valve Hose Sets Record For Dependability Here are the facts as reported by the Mill Superintendent of
a large Southwestern copper mine. “This length of HewittRobins Pinch-Valve Hose carries and controls slurry containing 35 % solids and a high percentage of mine acids. It is installed on the tailings pond where it is subjected to all kinds of weather, including temperatures as high as 130°F. This hose stands up so well that I never think of replacing it, even though it is clamped closed for periods of as much as a month a t a time.” For complete hose facts, call your Hewitt Rubber Distributor (see “Rubber Products,” classified phone book).
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Get the whole story. Call your Hewitt Rubber Distributor (see “Rubber Products,” classified phone book) or write f o r Bulletin No. 130,
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INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
INCORPORATED Robins Conveyors Division Robins Engineers Division
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