Harrington Emerson (1853-1931) was an engineer and management consultant, recognized as one of the leaders of the scientific management movement and an American pioneer of industrial engineering.
Among his greatest contributions are "The 12 Principles of Efficiency", with which he seeks to guide organizations to adopt new methods of saving time and costs that make them more competitive.
Harrington Emerson Source: The American Magazine, March 1911.
His ideas might seem at first glance similar to those of Frederick W. Taylor, father of scientific management, as their main focus is efficiency. However, Taylor's efficiency was more technical in nature and aimed at perfecting each individual production process.
Meanwhile, Emerson's was more comprehensive, encompassing the entire organization from top to bottom. Therefore, it includes ideas such as organizational forms, motivation, training and quality standards.
Biography
Harrington Emerson was born in Trenton, New Jersey, in August 1853. His parents, Edwin and Mary Louisa Emerson, had 5 other children. They were a family of Anglo-Irish political and religious dissidents.
Harrington received a privileged education with tutors and in private schools in England, France, Italy and Greece. During her youth she learned languages, archeology and engineering at the Royal Bavarian Polytechnic, now the Technical University of Munich.
At the age of 23 he returned to the United States and served as a professor of modern languages at the University of Nebraska, but in 1882 he was expelled for his secular and progressive ideas, which was in opposition to the religious fundamentalism of the institution.
From that point on, Harrington has held a wide range of jobs: tax agent, border banker, moneylender, land agent, surveyor, mediator, and teacher.
He even became the right-hand man for US presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan, directing his campaign activities and soliciting endorsement funds.
The Emerson Company
After several failed business attempts in Alaska and financial complications, in 1900 Emerson decided to take up efficiency engineering as a profession. Thus began his work as a consultant.
One of his most notable works was the reorganization of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad machine and locomotive repair shops. His successes led him to found the Emerson Company, which during his years in office managed to open branches in New York, Pittsburgh and Chicago.
In 1910 he was a star witness in the Eastern Freight case, during the appeal made by the main eastern railways to increase the rate. During his statement, he assured that the railways wasted a million dollars a day by not applying efficient methods. This fact and his writing against the railroads brought public attention to his philosophy of efficiency.
In 1919 he reorganized the Emerson Company into the Emerson Engineers and with great success pursued special projects abroad in the areas of transportation, industry, and communication. Despite his successful management, in 1925 his company disintegrated due to problems with its partners.
During his years as a consultant, he advised government leaders and transportation ministries in China, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Poland and the Soviet Union, as well as the United States.
In fact he was one of 18 engineers chosen by Secretary of Commerce Hebert Hoover to form a commission to investigate waste disposal in the railroad and coal industries.
Last years
During his later years, Emerson documented his contributions through essays, personal letters, and an autobiography. He also dedicated himself to supervising and expanding family investments, as well as specific projects, including plans for a high-speed monorail in Florida.
At the age of 78, in September 1931, Emerson died in New York City. He got married twice: in the 1870s to Florence Brooks and in 1895 to Mary Crawford Supple. He had 4 children: Raffe, from his first marriage, and Louise, Isabel and Margaret from his second marriage.
Beginning
Emerson locomotive repair cost and efficiency record. Source: Harrington Emerson, 1912
For Emerson, efficiency was based on natural principles and thousands of examples could be seen in nature. For example, he considered the human body as one of the most efficient organisms, as it was complex but self-regulating the use of inputs such as air, water, food, etc. This conception is transmitted through his numerous periodicals and his three books.
Undoubtedly one of his most valuable works was the one entitled The 12 principles of efficiency (1912), in which he compiles the bases to operate efficiently at all levels of the organization.
The first 5 principles refer to interpersonal relationships, especially between employer and employee, while the remaining 7 focus on methodology.
1-clearly defined ideals
2-Common sense
3-Competent Council
4-Discipline (self-discipline)
5-Fair treatment of employees
6-Reliable, immediate and adequate records
7-Dispatch
8-Rules and schedules
9-Standardized conditions
10-Standardized operations
11-Written instructions
12-Efficiency reward
Other contributions
Emerson was the first to use the term "Efficiency Engineering" to describe the consulting industry that he developed through his company. He was a key figure in promoting and popularizing the ideas of scientific management to a mass audience. In fact, he was responsible for introducing the word "efficiency" into the language of business.
Close to 200 companies adopted and benefited from its efficiency systems, which were implemented by its consulting engineers. Among the most common practices were time and motion studies, the bonus of wages according to productivity, the routing of production, the standardization of tasks and working conditions.
The also known as "priest of efficiency" made other contributions in the areas of cost accounting and in establishing parameters for evaluating workers. In addition, along with Frederick Taylor, Henry Gantt, Frank Gilbreth and other progressive engineers, he formed the Society of Industrial Engineers.
References
- Witzel, M. (2003). Fifty Key Figures in Management. New York: Routledge.
- Dillanés, ME (2018, July-December) History of Management. Rational-scientific management: in search of efficiency. Management and Strategy, Number 54, p.98-107
- Pioneers of Management. (2009). Recovered from encyclopedia.com
- Emerson, H. (1919). The twelve principles of efficiency. New York: The Engineering Magazine Co.
- Pennsylvania State University. (2000). Guide to the Harrington Emerson Papers, 1848-193. Recovered from libraries.psu.edu