146 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[December 1, 1919. 



It facilitates matters to chart your man. Make up a list of 

 the qualities you wish a foreman to possess. Professional psy- 

 chologists follow this method. Dr. Blackford thinks an execu- 

 tive should possess a "keen sense of justice, courtesy, depend- 

 ableness (constancy, reliability, uniform disposition), courage, 

 love, teachableness (ability to learn even from the lowest 

 worker), openness of mind, tactfulness, sympathy (ability to 

 appreciate the other man's position), understanding of human 

 nature." William Kent would have him possess, "education and 

 special knowledge, industry, aggressiveness, health, energy, initi- 

 ative, tact, personality." Frederick W. Taylor would have 

 chosen men with "brains, honesty, education, judgment or com- 

 mon sense, tact, technical or special knowledge, manual dexterity 

 or strength, energy, grit, good health." 



It is singular that these "authorities" should not more closely 

 agree as to the elements that predominate in' the 1(X) per cent 

 man. Here are afforded, however, suggestions sufficient to aid 

 in the creation of a chart for guidance, whereon to note im- 

 pressions of the men selected for foremen, or for any other 

 position. Naturally you will have these charts frequently bef'ore 

 you, "keeping tabs," correcting first impressions, probably, and 

 finally obtaining an accurate record of each man in whom you 

 have a special interest. 



You have, let us assume, a dozen men selected from among 

 the foremen of as many different departments, and also a 

 dozen "green" men picked from the ranks of whom you con- 

 ceive as possessing abilities woi'th your time and money to de- 

 velop. All these men have been under observation for some 

 time, and to them you have confided your aim. The chances 

 are the' foremen know little about the factory outside their de- 

 partments, and the new men are getting their first real acquaint- 

 ance with rubber goods manufacture. 



With the selection of these men enters your responsibility to 

 train them so well that within a reasonable time they will be 

 equipped to demonstrate in a practical way the value of the 

 method you have employed. There are, doubtless, divergencies 

 of opinion as to the details of such training, but the funda- 

 mentals are easily discernible. First, a basic knowledge of rub- 

 be-; sources; methods used in its gathering or production in 

 forest or plantation ; its chemistry, inspection and selection. 

 Second, manipulation and preparation for use in manufacture. 

 This will carry the student through washing, drying, compound- 

 ing, mixing, calendering, and include the preparation and use 

 of fabrics. This knowledge must be acquired by personal con- 

 tact with the work. The student should manipulate the com- 

 pounds and understand why they are employed. He should 

 work as one of a "crew" at every preparatory process, and 

 should be coached and catechized frequently that there may be 

 no question that he is acquiring a practical working knowledge. 

 This he can demonstrate very readily by giving in writing the 

 detail of each step in each process he observes. Furthermore, 

 he should be encouraged in a critical attitude toward machin- 

 ery, methods, appliances, and personnel, and to suggest better- 

 ments. This method will surely show whether a student has 

 the critical faculty, constructive imagination, and practical ideas, 

 all of which are essential to the equipment of the man who 

 would qualify for foremanship. Having mastered basic details, 

 the student should next acquire a working acquaintance with 

 individual processes. He should learn to run a spewing ma- 

 chine, a jar-ring cutter, a sole cutter, a vulcanizer. He should 

 learn how to make automobile casings, and tubes, hose, belting, 

 shoes, and packing. In short, he should acquire a practical 

 knowledge of how all of the goods produced by the factory in 

 which he is employed are made. 



As to tjie time required to complete such a course of study, 

 it naturally depends on the man. Much could be accomplished 

 in three months by intelligently directed, concentrated work. It 

 is just as well to remember first, that men are being trained 

 for executive factory positions in your factory, men to whom great 



responsibility will be entrusted, not for one year, but for many 

 years, and that you can well afford all the time necessary to gain 

 this end ; second, that there is bound to be a noticeable difference 

 lietween these men in their quality, capacity, and ultimate value, 

 and that a successful course of training must be based upon 

 this. He would be a foolish tailor who tried to fit all men with 

 one size of suit; he, per force, has several sizes, or he does little 

 business. Why not have a series of study courses to which 

 individuals will automatically adapt themselves? For example, 

 the first lesson series would cover the study and manipulation 

 of crude rubber, compounding ingredients and fabrics, the ma- 

 chinery required, and the manufacturing processes involved, 

 supplemented by reading such works as "Crude Rubber and 

 Compounding Ingredients," "Rubber Machinery," etc. Also lec- 

 tures should be delivered before students by the master me- 

 chanic and the chief chemist. This series should be quickly dis- 

 posed of, depending much on the skill with which you have 

 picked your men. By this time you will have gained a better 

 acquaintance with them and may have reason to believe there 

 are some whose capacity for knowledge has reached the "satura- 

 tion point." 



Have prepared a second series for those who are fortunate 

 enough to "carry on." This will include the study and practice 

 of job analysis as applied to machinery, methods, men, and fac- 

 tory conditions; time study of manufacturing operations with a 

 view to suggesting piece-work rates, which may be checked 

 against those in force, simply for the education of the students. 

 Incidental readings would cover such authors as Taylor, Gannt, 

 Gilbreth, Emerson, Thompson, Knoeppel, Diemer, and others ; 

 also the current magazines devoted to manufacturing and kin- 

 dred subjects. Lectures should be provided related to the gen- 

 eral scheme, such as factory construction and equipment, chem- 

 istry of india rubber, production and use of power, machinery 

 and tools, management of a work force, wages, etc. 



A few words regarding job analysis and time study seem per- 

 tinent here. It must not be supposed that anything of a super- 

 ficial nature will suffice to fit a student to make a proper job 

 analysis, any more than holding a stop-watch on a factory 

 operation constitutes time study. Much of the disastrous record 

 in the past is directly chargeable to lack of proper preparation 

 in these two lines. Job analysis requires a combination of 

 trained observation coupled with good, practical ideas. Effi- 

 ciency in making a time study cannot be acquired in a day or 

 a week, even if intelligently directed, and it is open to question 

 whether there is in the average factory organization any written 

 standard practice worthy the name, giving detailed instruction 

 of how a student should be trained for this work. It is no part 

 of this discussion to devise a curriculum covering these subjects, 

 but to point out that the average man has few qualifications for 

 dealing with them. If, therefore, you are fortunate enough to 

 bring forward all members of the school into the second series, 

 by this time you may find some who have reached their intellec- 

 tual limit, or at least do not show that capacity for assimilating 

 knowledge that will warrant introducing them into a third 

 series. Those who were found to have serious limitations need 

 not necessarily be classed as failures, for each takes automat- 

 ically, as one might say, his position in the scholastic gage-glass, 

 according to his specific gravity. 



There remain for further schooling the top-notchers from 

 whom may be properly expected the highest returns. These 

 men should give special attention to factory organization and 

 management, interdepartmental relations, planning, routing, 

 costs, waste, power, standardization, welfare, betterments, and 

 so on, to the end that they may become foremen in name, but 

 in reality, assistants to the superintendent. In sum, you will 

 have secured men who know the manufacturing of rubber goods 

 thoroughly, and are specialists in the lines made in your factory. 

 They have worked with the factory rank and file to the point 

 where they will be a credit to your organization. 



