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The Human Factor in Management Systems
Myers, M. Scott
14/1  (Fall 1971): 5-10

The article presents information on the human factor in management systems. Small companies approaching bigness encounter problems which earlier did not exist or were not as serious. These new problems may be variously manifested as alienation, disloyalty, lack of commitment, high turnover, absenteeism, uncooperativeness, lack of integrity, or deterioration of standards. Solutions for these problems commonly emerge in the form of programs for communication, attitude measurement, merit rating, motivation, recognition and morale improvement and are implemented through techniques such as engineered labor standards, piecework incentives, "zero-defects" plans, and paid suggestion systems. These efforts may yield short-term gains, but frequently their ultimate impact is increased alienation and net loss. The inadequacy of these strategies stems from the fact that they are usually dealing with interdependent symptoms of more fundamental causes. When the interdependence of these problems is not recognized, the tendency is to treat them separately.

 

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