Function master system

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The function master system goes back to the American engineer and founder of Scientific Management Frederick Winslow Taylor . The separation of manual and mental work manifests itself in this management system. Instead of a universal master there are several specialized function masters who give the workers instructions in their specialty, which leads to multiple subordination of the workers.

The ideal-typical concept of the multi-line system goes back to Taylor's function master system .

features

Due to the problematic situation of the US - Industry beginning of the 20th century was Taylor's ambition is to create a distribution system such as a redesign and optimization of industrial production and work processes enabled.

In the first step, Taylor analyzed the existing work processes. The core of this analysis and thus the redesign was
1. the creation of time studies with the help of a stopwatch ,
2. the breaking down of the work processes into individual types of process and
3. their subsequent recombination.
Taylor was thus able to identify unnecessary movements and eliminate them. In addition, training and recovery times could be calculated.

The preparation of the work took place in a central work office, in which specialized employees took over the essential functions of the former workshop foremen. Mention should be made of the work dispatcher, the instructor and the time and cost calculator. The work office was supplemented by function masters such as the supervisor, the equipment foreman, the speed foreman, the inspection foreman and the maintenance foreman who were supposed to work directly in the workshop and had to ensure that the instructions were carried out by the workers.

The main difference compared to the previous management system with only one workshop foreman who was responsible for everything was the division of the various management functions. Each of the function masters was responsible for and specialized in a certain function (method area) within the company. This principle resulted in multiple subordination of employees. It is also referred to as the principle of the shortest route, since employees did not have to follow the rigid route of the single-line system when a problem occurred, but could contact the responsible specialist directly.

advantages

  • The advantages of the function master system are that the function master specializes in a certain area, which leads to an increase in quality.
  • Another advantage is the flexibility in the vertical relationships. Multiple exposures result, among other things, in shorter information channels.
  • The possibility of replacing highly skilled all-rounder also semi-skilled specialists to use in leadership positions, was another advantage.

disadvantage

  • The disadvantages of this system are the problems of delimiting responsibilities, as the employees are not sure which superior they have to contact on a case-by-case basis.
  • The greater need for managerial staff, the greater need for coordination and communication, weigh on economic success.
  • The risk of conflicts of competence between the superiors, the difficulty of attributing errors and the alienation in the superiors-employee relationships strain the working atmosphere.

application areas

history

Although human labor was a bottleneck in the United States at the beginning of the century, the function master system was not widely used in industry. If the system was used, then only in a modified form.

The reasons for this included the high level of effort required to reorganize the factories, the loss of power by managers and entrepreneurs through the use of the labor offices and the fear of workers' and trade union protests. In addition, the function master system was only suitable for large companies with series production . In Germany, too, Scientific Management was rarely used in its pure form, but in the further development and adaptation carried out by REFA .

With the beginning of mass production, however, Taylor's principles found their way into many industrial companies and are still an important part of everyday production there today. Henry Ford, for example, who used assembly line production in automobile production, made use of Taylor's findings.

Further development

Despite the lack of implementation of the supervisor system in its pure form, it represents an important design concept. The effects of the idea can still be felt today, especially with regard to the specialization of managerial functions and the flexibilization of vertical relationships within a company. The concept is still valid today in a weakened form.

In general, it can be stated that the multi-line system in its ideal-typical form has not proven itself in the practice of flexible process management. More complex forms of organization, such as the matrix organization , reveal a multiple orientation of the management function. Here, a subordinate position receives instructions from two superordinate positions, whereby one of the management dimensions is method or function-oriented, while the other is process or object-oriented.

Phase division

The temporal separation of intellectual preparatory work in the planning or preparation phase and practical work from the production phase has established itself. Then, for example, the technician or master level is entrusted with the preliminary planning and the executing worker level follows the specifications from the preliminary planning.

This separation accommodates the various inclinations and intellectual abilities as well as the differentiated training of people for more practical or more planning (theoretical) work. The phase division is also suitable due to the various suitable tools for the planning phase (software and computer) and the subsequent production phase (processing machines).

This phase division is suitable for service tasks (in the service contract or in the work contract) as well as for production tasks (in the supply contract or work delivery contract).

literature

  • Manfred Schulte-Zurhausen : Organization. 3. Edition. Vahlen, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-8006-2825-2
  • O. Green: Organization. In: F. Scheuch (Hrsg.): Allgemeine Betriebswirtschaftslehre. Service-Fachverlag, Vienna 1990, ISBN 3-85428-170-6
  • G. Schreyögg: Organization. 3. Edition. Gabler Verlag, Wiesbaden 1991, ISBN 3-409-37729-8
  • A. Kieser (Ed.): Organizational Theories. 4th edition. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-17-016998-X
  • FB Copley: Frederick W. Taylor. Routledge / Troemmes Press, London 1993