Industrial psychology : its scope and effect on efficiency abstract of lecture / by Charles S. Myers.

  • Charles Samuel Myers
Date:
1923
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Industrial psychology : its scope and effect on efficiency abstract of lecture / by Charles S. Myers. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Abstract of lecture by CHARLES S. MYERS, M.D., Sc.D., F.R.S., Director of the National Institute of Industrial Psychology. {Read before the Society, 1th November, 1923). It is only recently that attention has been paid to the scientific study of industrial conditions from the human or psychological standpoint. This has to a large extent been made possible by the development of experimental psychology, which within the last fifty years has elaborated methods competent to examine, if not always completely to solve, many of the problems at issue. Industrial psychology deals with movement study, spell study, environment study, vocational training, vocational guidance, voca¬ tional selection, improvements in the workers’ incentives to work, the relations between management and labour and the study of advertisement. The aim of the industrial psychologist is not directly to ‘ speed up ’ the worker but to discover the most effective methods of work, eliminating needless movements and wasteful energy. The adoption of this attitude has been found invariably to secure the workers’ confidence and invariably to result in increased output. Thus in an investigation into packing output was increased by over 35% and the packers expressed their gratitude to the investigators because they were so much less tired by the end of the working day. In such investigations an assistant investigator, supervised by a senior investigator who visits the factory from time to time, lives the life of the worker. Careful note is taken of wasteful movements on the part of the workers, bad arrangements and defective supplies of material, etc., and detailed records are taken of the output hour by hour throughout the day. Improved methods are tried and their results accurately ascertained. The co-operation of workers, foremen and managers is sought throughout and no attempt is made to increase output merely by ‘ speeding up ’ under unaltered conditions. i — — » i THE CHARLES MYERS J LIBRARY NATIONAL INSTITUTE i? INDUSTRIAL PSYCHQLQflr I 14, VVELBECK STREET. LONDON, WT I