Les cadres et les directions devant les temps improductifs Managers and Management : The Problem of Wasted Time

Résumé

Même quand on a réussi à réduire au minimum le travail nécessaire à la fabrication d'un produit, il subsiste encore de nombreux points qui sont autant de sources de temps perdu, sur lesquelles le travailleur a peu de prise, mais que par de bonnes méthodes de gestion et d'organisation la direction peut en partie éliminer.

Abstract

The passage of the traditional society where agriculture was the main activity to our large industrial societies gave an economic value to the notion of time. To win a second in a work process is very economic and is almost always translated in a cost reduction.

The worker is often, if not always, held responsible for reducing or increasing the time of work necessary for the fabrication of a certain commodity. But a deeper study shows the falsity of such an assertion and that the worker has in fact less and less control over his working methods.

Managers and management, however, are responsible for about two thirds of overtime periods (due to the fact a poor study of the product or its fabrication) and of idle time during which no real work is accomplished. Both overtime and idle time are also due to the excessive variety of product and, to lack of standardization in the changes of models. Thus causing stoppages due to small lot production and frequent adjustment of machines...

Overtime and idle time are also caused on the one hand by a bad planning of work and of orders resulting in a lack of raw materials, and on the other hand by breakdowns and installations in bad conditions causing stoppages for both men and materials and thus a certain waste.

In addition to this, in small firms, personnel policies are not sufficient, even often unexisting. Too often managers live and work in pure routine without even thinking of reconsidering their conception of work and their methods.

One will find in a study of the International Labor Bureau that the time of work really necessary in the execution of an operation does not exceed one third of the total existing working time.