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SAFETY MANAGEMENT
The Foreman: Master & Victim of Double-Talk
Roethlisberger, FJ. The Harvard Business Review. 33(1945): 283-298. Reprinted in September 1965.
Uncounted hours spent on various industry and association safety committees and professional organization committees consistently generated two thoughts. First, "I never thought about that." second-and directly related- "Thank you for helping me think."
Roethlisberger's article has the same effect. The "foreman," no matter what s/he is called at the moment or in a particular industry, is a principal bearing surface between labor and management. This article will precipitate new thoughts and fill in some currently incomplete thoughts for loss control professionals.
Where did the article come from? Hnnmrd Business Revieiv (HBR) originally published it in 1945. Subsequently, HBR published a series of classics (articles originally published 15 or more years ago that have retained their vibrancy and pungency for today's business world). Roethlisberger's article was republished in September 1965.
That tells the time. What about the place? Western Electric's now infamous Hawthorne studies and their published results were conducted from 1924 to 1933. They were supervised by Elton Mayo, and conducted by Roethlisberger and others. The studies were understood to be an antidote to Taylor's "scientific management."
Roethlisberger remained on the faculty of the Harvard Business School as professor of human relations. It is not surprising that having worked hard...