CASE STUDY

LESSON 40: CASE STUDY

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engineering curriculum; he then switched to commerce. His myself and my education he said, “Well, this ought to be easy

major course work centered on motion and time study. for you. Let’s go over and look at the job.”

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Upon graduation he was hired by Wellington Corporation, a There were ten workers assembling the door handles, working

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large Chicago firm employing 2,500 workers, to work in its for the second day on this job. The first thing that struck

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standards department. In Gridley’s words: George about the job was the casual attitude that seemed to be

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I was really in a good spot when I graduated. You see, I’m both evident, and the pronounced talking and minor horseplay that

A an engineering and commerce major. You can’t beat that continued after Mason and Gridley came over to observe.

combination. I’m just a natural for a standards department Mason left almost immediately, saying to the group, “This is

G because I have the business know-how together with my Gridley from standards on this new job. He’s new with the

engineering. Wellington had the best spot for me so I took the

company. “

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job because I could get ahead fastest there. Their interviewer In talking about it later, Gridley recalled the subsequent

told me when he came over to school to interview us that I had developments of that day with some discomfort. He knew that

a rare combination his company was glad to find. I went up to under the union contract, work on a new job was paid for at a Chicago for some additional interviews. I liked them and they

guaranteed rate, until the standards and price were set. Then the liked me, so I took the job.

work went on an incentive basis. But he was scarcely prepared Gridley reported for work 2 weeks after graduation, having

for the complete irreverence with which he was greeted. arrived in Chicago 3 days before starting work in order to find a

Almost the first remark I heard from the group was, “Well, here place to live. After the usual processing in the personnel

is the genius who is going to show us how to bust this job department, he was taken up to the standards department to

wide open without any work at all.” You can imagine how the the office of its chief, Mr. McGuire, who had interviewed

others laughed and what a spot that put me in. I made some George before he was hired. McGuire kept George waiting for

comment about “just doing a job” and began observing the

10 minutes and then turned to him. George described this assembly work. It seemed to me there was pretty poor meeting.

discipline in a company where the workers made remarks like

I just sat there in McGuire’s office watching him work on some that. It got me so that I just automatically reached for a cigarette papers, not knowing quite what to expect. Finally, he turned to

and started to light it. That same worker saw me and said, “Say, me and said, “Well, Mr. Gridley, are you all set to go to work?”

haven’t they told you that only fireproof cigarettes are permitted He never did call any of us younger fellows in the department

here?” Then I remembered the no-smoking rule. I was so mad anything but “mister.” He told me that there would be a

by then I just went off to the washroom and smoked. Those department staff meeting that morning when he would

damned ignorant workers sure take a lot of pleasure in making introduce me to everyone. Meantime he gave me the company

life miserable for their betters.

standards manual and told me I ought to spend several days That afternoon George went back to the department and began getting familiar with it. He called his secretary and told her to

observing the operation, and made arrangements with Mason take me to my desk and get me all the supplies I needed; that

and the union steward to time the job on the following ended the interview. He certainly was a cold fish and all the time

morning. Gridley made no suggestions for any assembly

I worked for him I never could warm up to him. I didn’t get procedures changes, figuring he would time the job” as is” any assignment at all the first week but just sat at my desk and

rather than force himself to discuss with Mason and the worked over the manual. I got to know several of the fellows

workers some changes he thought might be useful. The around me and we went to lunch together.

principal saving he could see was in proper flow of materials to Gridley was finally assigned to work up the time study on a

each work station and he planned to take this into account in simple assembly of refrigerator door handles being assembled

working out some standard procedures and estimated prices in a department in which Mason was foreman. When McGuire

based upon them. The time study was made the next day as gave him the assignment, George was so glad to be working he

planned.

failed w respond with any questions when given the opening by Gridley immediately took the data back to his desk and spent McGuire’s query, “Any questions?’ ‘

that day and the following preparing his report. After waiting

I felt so glad at getting a real job at last that I just said, “I think still another day getting it typed up, he submitted it to McGuire.

I can handle this easily, Sir,” and left his office. I went and got The figures showed a price of 60 cents a dozen for assembly the drawings for the assembly and studied them for a few

McGuire sat down immediately with the report and read it over. hours. Then I went down to Mason’s department and told him

It took him only about 10 minutes to go over it, saying not a Mr. McGuire had given me the assignment of working up the

word to Gridley, who had been asked to was. Then as Gridley refrigerator door handle job. He said that was all right with him.

reported:

Mason was a crusty old guy who didn’t seem to have much He family looked up at me and said, “Mr. Gridley, this is a good education at all. Nobody could remember when he started with

job. From your repack:’” I feel your operating scheme is good the company and he’d been a foreman a long time. I got out the

and your time data shows consistent results. I chik Mason’s drawings and wanted to talk to him about the job but he sort

estimate on the job some place. Let me get it.” He got out a file of brushed them aside and started asking personal questions

and found memo sheet that had some handwriting on it. about me. I figured maybe he couldn’t read drawings too easily,

“Yes,” he said, “here is his estimate. You know in this company so I didn’t try that approach again. After I told him about

we often have foremen estimate prices on simple jobs, just in we often have foremen estimate prices on simple jobs, just in

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we let the foreman’s estimate ride. Mason says 62 cents on that

job. You never know how these foremen figure those things

out. Mason has done a lot of these refrigerator handle

assemblies in

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his department in the past. Since our study is so close to his

figure, I think I’ll let his stand. There is only a little better than 3

per cent difference. This is no reflection on you, understand

that, Mr. Gridley. I just feel in this instance it would be valuable

to the company and to our operations in the standards

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department to let Mason think his estimate and our study

agree.”

Can you imagine anything like that? Here I really put out to give them a job and then McGuire goes ahead and uses some off- the-cuff estimate of a foreman who can’t even read prints. That doesn’t seem to me to be very good management. Does management really want brains around here or are they just going to run the company by-guess-by gosh all the time?

Quest ions

1. How scientific is time study? Is George justified in his views of the technique?

2.Assuming that George is correct, what does McGuire get in return for the extra two cents? Is his decision beneficial to the company?

Notes