XXVI

EMPLOYMENT  PSYCHOLOGY,  LABOR,
AND  INDUSTRY
It  is  a  regrettable  but  undeniable  fact  that  there  is  a
tendency  in  labor  circles  to  look  with  suspicion  upon  anything ­
  which  contributes  to  the  efficiency  of  management.
Unfortunately,  the  fashion  in  which  the  various  programs
of  scientific  management  have  been  carried  out  by  some
manufacturers  has  provided  grounds  for  this  suspicion.
Many  labor  leaders  have  affirmed  that  the  piece-work
principle,  which,  under  one  name  or  another,  is  probably
the  most  fundamental  principle  in  all  schemes  of  scientific ­
  management,  is  merely  a  clever  but  selfish  device  by
which  manufacturers  attempt  to  stimulate  their  workers
to  greater  and  greater  efforts.  The  large  number  of  bonus
and  premium  plans  of  remuneration  inaugurated  under
these  programs  have  tended  to  confirm  this  suspicion.
In  fact,  the  entire  range  of  schemes  and  devices  for  the
promotion  of  efficiency  included  under  the  name  of  scientific ­
  management  has  contributed  to  the  belief  on  the
part  of  labor  that  the  science  of  management  is  a  coldblooded ­
  and  heartless  method  which  treats  human  beings
as  just  so  many  machines  from  which  the  last  pound  of
energy  is  to  be  extracted.  Since  this  belief  exists,  any
other  method  which  offers  to  make  management  still
more  scientific  is  likely  to  incur  a  similar  suspicion.  It
may  be  held  that  the  psychological  method  also  treats
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