12 Emerson Efficiency Principles

Emerson's 12 Principles of Efficiency were included in his classic book "Twelves Principles of Efficiency". This character contributed to the focus on the efficiency of industrial engineering systems where these principles were discussed.

He strongly advocated norms and standardization as the basis for the efficiency. Almost two hundred companies adopted various features of the Emerson efficiency, which included production route procedures, working conditions and standardized tasks, time and motion studies and a bonus plan that increased workers' wages in line with greater efficiency and productivity.

The taylorism inspired countless followers around the world who sought to optimize work in industries, one of these was Harrington Emerson. Many have refined Taylor's ideas according to the realities of his time and production. The work he produced has transformed managerial thinking around the world. Harrington Emerson developed the principles of organizational efficiency which were published in his book

Twelve Principles of Efficiency in 1911, inspired by the ideas developed by Taylor.

In his work, Emerson addresses topics such as: discipline, rules and schedules, standardized operations, among others.

Who was Harrington Emerson?

Harrington Emerson (1853-1931) he was one of the American pioneers in industrial engineering and management and organization theory. His main contributions were to install his management methods in many industrial companies and to promote the ideas of scientific management and efficiency to a mass audience.

After a successful stint as general manager of a small Pennsylvania glassworks in 1900, Emerson decided to take up efficiency engineering as a profession. Through meetings of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, he personally became acquainted with the pioneering work of Frederick W. Taylor, founder of scientific management, and assimilated much of the methodology to standardize work and pay workers according to productivity.

Between 1907 and 1910, the Emerson Company consulted more than 200 corporations, submitting reports for which they were paid $ 25 million. Emerson's efficiency methods were applied to department stores, hospitals, universities, and city governments. Between 1911 and 1920, Emerson's company averaged annual profits of more than $ 100,000.00.

To distinguish his methods from Taylor's, Emerson published three books: Efficiency as a Basis for Operation and Wages (1909); The Twelve Principles of Efficiency (1912); and Colonel Schoonmaker and the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad (1913).

What is efficiency?

So much is said in this post about efficiency, but many may not know its true importance or definition within the industry. Efficiency is probably the word that every business owner or manager strives for. When a business runs efficiently, it means time well spent, minimal waste, everyone knows what to do and that things are going well.

It can be a difficult task to complete depending on the size of the business or how long you are in charge of running it. Efficiency doesn't happen overnight.

What does functional efficiency mean? It's about getting in and out of business. Measure what goes in and what goes out to see where things are. Keeping track of your company's operational efficiency can only benefit you in the long run. This will help you see where things need to change or stay the same. Your entry will be determined by measuring your operating expenses, capital expenditures, and the number of full-time people you have working for the business.

To determine production, you will need revenue, quality, growth, and customer satisfaction calculations. Running a business efficiently runs in the family.

12 Emerson Efficiency Principles

Unlike Frederick W, Taylor, Harrington Emerson saw the organization as a whole. Based on this vision, he considered the lack of definition of goals as the most worrying aspect. He was considered a visionary scholar: in 1912 he was already considering aspects of management by objectives (APO), an approach that would only be developed by Peter Drucker in 1954.

APO is a systematic management technique focused on the planning and the control. The starting point of it is to establish the objectives of the organization and declare what it is intended to achieve.

In 1912 he published the book The Principles of Organizational Efficiency (The Twelve Principles of Efficiency), which became a true classic that is still valid, important and used in the main theories of management today.

These 12 principles are as follows:

1. Have clearly defined ideals.
2. Common sense.
3. Have competent advice.
4. Discipline.
5. The fair deal.
6. Reliable, immediate and adequate records.
7. Office.
8. Standards and schedules.
9. Conditions that are standardized.
10. Standardized operations.
11. Written instructions for standard practices.
12. Reward efficiency.