The First Principle- Defined Ideals

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“Efficiency, like hygiene, is a state, an ideal, not a method;”

― Harrington Emerson, Twelve Principles of Efficiency


Emerson’s first, and most important principle, is that there should always be a clearly defined goal. In any organisation or company, a primary objective to constantly work towards is vital as it allows the members or employees to focus on priorities. A common mistake that Emerson observes in his writing is when the main goal is obstructed by multiple, less important objectives. When it becomes unclear where the priority should be, inefficient management and planning is inevitable. A clear goal will prevent confusion and ensure that people can manage their time effectively. When management is vague, employees working underneath may skew their ideals for their own personal gain.


In his book, The Twelve Principles of Efficiency, Emerson gives an example of a situation where vague ideals and personal impulse resulted in a loss of efficiency. A superintendent of a plant oversaw the work of 1,000 men, something he had a lot of pride for, as he had worked for many years to get to this position. However, this meant he was very averse to the idea of this number dropping below 1,000, as he felt it would be ‘‘lowering his rank’’. As a result, he would purposely avoid adopting more efficient methods, even cutting the hours of the 1,000 employed before he would consider reducing the number of workers beneath him. The consequence? Emerson writes ‘Economy, efficiency, were all waived on account of a perverse ideal; personal pride.’ 


This is just one example of where the original ideal was obscured by an ulterior motive, but it can happen in many different scenarios. Emerson’s bottom line is that a manager has two options when deciding how to run their business; either to set up their own ideals and reject all efficiency principles that do not accord with them, or to accept the organisation and principles of efficiency and to create ideals based off of them.


-Ella

Source: Emerson, H., 1922. The twelve principles of efficiency.

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