Work Systems Engineering

Work Systems Engineering

[COMMON TO V SEM I&P/ MECHANICAL]

WORK SYSTEMS ENGINERING MME 4038 Work Systems Engineering- [3 0 0 3]

Productivity and work study: Definition of productivity and standard of living,

Productivity in the individual enterprise, Total time of a job, Basic work content,
Excess work content, Ineffective time, Factors tending to reduce productivity,
Techniques for reducing excess work content and ineffective time, Work study:
Definition, techniques,basic procedure, Human factor in the application of work
study, Qualities of work study man.
[06]
Method study: Definition, Objectives, Basic procedure of method study,
Selecting the work for study, Recording the facts, Outline process chart, Flow
process charts, Flow diagram, Critical examination by questioning technique,
Development of improved method, Multiple activity chart, Travel chart, String
diagram, The principles of motion economy, Two handed process chart,
Micromotion study, Therbligs, SIMO chart, Cyclegraph and Chronocyclegraph,
Definition, installation and maintenance of the improved method. [14]

Work measurement: Definition, use and basic procedure of work

measurement, Techniques of work measurement, Time study: Definition,
equipment and forms, job selection and basic steps, Types of elements,
Cumulative, fly back and differential methods of timing the elements, Rating:
Definition, qualified worker, scales of rating, methods of rating, Basic time
(normal time), Types of allowances, Standard time determination, Simple
numerical on time study, Introduction to Work sampling, Predetermined time
standards (PTS) and Standard Data. [10]

Restricted work: Definition of restricted work, Pump diagram, Multiple machine

work, Load factor, Machine interference, Interference allowance, Simple
numerical. [03]

Working environment and Ergonomics: Safety criteria, Lighting, Noise and

Vibration, Ventilation, Climatic conditions, Introduction to Ergonomics.
[03]

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MME 4038 Work Systems Engineering- [3 0 0 3]

References:

1. International Labour Office (ILO), Introduction to work study, Universal Book

Corporation, Geneva, 2001.
2. Niebel B.W. and Frievalds, A., Methods, Standards, and Work design, McGraw-
Hill, New York, 2003.
3. Barnes R.M., Motion and Time Study-Design and Measurement of work, Willey
International, Singapore, 1980.
4. George K., Work study, Universal Publishing Corporation, Bombay, 1995.
5. Niebel B.W., Motion and Time Study, (5e), Richard D.Irvin Inc, Illinois, 1972

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1. Productivity and Work study

The standard of living:

The standard of living is the degree of material well –being available to a person or class or
community which is necessary for sustaining and enjoying life.

Requirements for a minimum satisfactory standard of living:

 Necessities: These are the basic wants of people to survive on earth.

e.g:
 Food: Enough food every day to replace the energy used in living and working.
 Clothing: Enough clothes to permit bodily cleanliness and afford protection from
the weather.
 Housing: Housing of a standard to give protection under healthy conditions and
 Essential services: These are beyond necessities but behind luxuries. These are items
essential for a person to lead life peacefully.
e.g:
 Security against any threat to life, against robbery or violence, against
loss of the opportunity to work, against poverty due to illness or old age.
 Safe drinking water, sanitation and medical care to give protection against disease
and treatment in illness.
 Educational and cultural facilities to enable every man, woman and child to develop
to the full his or her talents and abilities.
 Public transport facility.

Comforts or Luxuries: These are the items though not essential are used by a section of
population to lead more comfortable life.
e.g: Posh buildings, luxurious cars, etc.

Productivity:
Productivity is defined as the ratio of output produced to the input resources utilised in the
production.

The output is the goods and services obtained and the input resources utilised in any
productive system are on or more among these four: Land, Materials, Machines and
Manpower or a combination of all four.

Over and above the overall measure of productivity, where all the inputs are taken together,
there is a need to have partial measures relating output to individual input, in order to pin
point the areas of deficiency.

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Two basic variations around the above definition have thus evolved:
Total productivity: It is the ratio of the aggregate output to aggregate input.
Partial productivity: It is the ratio of the aggregate output to any single input.
This definition applies in an enterprise, an industry or an economy as a whole.
Productivity is a measure of the ability of a facility to produce maximum with minimum
consumption of the resources. Productivity is also the index of efficiency of the facilities.
Mere increase in production does not mean increase in the productivity. Productivity is high
when the higher amount of output is obtained for the same input or the same amount of
output can be obtained with lesser input.

Relation between higher productivity and standard of living:

From the definition of productivity, it is apparent that a higher total productivity may result,
if:
a) More output is produced with the same or lesser input,
b) The same output is produced with lesser input,
c) More output is produced with more input; the proportional increase in output being
more than the increase in input.
Higher productivity results in the release of blocked resources which can be useful for other
good reasons and thus can make the organisation to run under profit. This profit can be
shared by all the members in that industrial community. This gain can be used by the
members of the community to acquire more and better goods and services which results in
greater material well- being and hence better standard of living.

Productivity in the individual enterprise:

Enterprise forms the smallest unit of economy. Planning for higher productivity at an
enterprise level, though predominantly guided by its own profit making and related
objectives, has to be undertaken under the broad framework of national plan. Taxation
policy, labour laws, general availability different resources, general level of demand for
different goods and services in the country are some areas an individual enterprise does not
have much control. These areas are normally covered at national level and they define the
constraints at which individual enterprise is to operate. Productivity improvement at the
enterprise level is thus initiated by identifying the resources , the improvement of utilisation
of which will contribute positively to organisational objectives. The analysis of total
productivity figures over time reveals how the company is in overall terms. A similar analysis
of partial productivity measures suggests the directions for future improvement.

Resources at the disposal of an enterprise:

Resources at the disposal of an enterprise are:

 Land and buildings: This includes the land in a convenient location to erect buildings
and other facilities necessary for the operations of the enterprise, and buildings
constructed on it.

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 Materials: This includes both direct and indirect materials.

Direct materials: These are the materials which becomes the part of the
final products to be sold.
Indirect materials: These materials assist in converting the direct materials into the
finished products but they do not become the part of the final product. They include
coal, grease ,cotton waste, fuels, chemicals and packing materials.

 Machines: This includes the basic machinery, equipment and tools necessary to convert
the raw materials into the finished product and the handling and transport of materials
, heating , ventilating and power plant, office equipment and furniture.

 Manpower: This includes men and women to perform the manufacturing operations
(direct manpower) and to plan and control, to do clerical work, to design and research
and to buy and sell( indirect manpower).

Productivity of land, buildings, materials, machines and manpower:

Productivity of land and buildings:

In industrial setting, better utilisation or increase in the productivity of land and buildings
can normally be effected through effective space saving techniques. Application of
scientific methods for investigations of different kinds of movements in a workplace acts as
tools for identifying the potential areas for space saving.

Eg: If by using better seed, better methods of cultivation and more fertiliser the yield of
corn from a particular hectare of land can be increased from 2 quintals to 3 quintals, then
the productivity of that land, in the agricultural sense, has been increased by 50 per cent.
The productivity of land used for industrial purposes may be said to have been increased if
the output of goods or services within that area of land is increased by whatever means.

Productivity of materials:
In many industries the cost of raw material represents 60% or more of the cost of the
finished product, the balance of 40% being divided between labour and overhead costs.
Productivity of materials becomes key factor in economic production or operation. An
increase in the productivity of materials can be achieved through material saving at the
design stage by the proper choice of product design and the economic selection of plant and
equipment. Material productivity can also be enhanced through material savings at the
operations stage by proper training and motivating of workers.

Eg: If a skilful tailor is able to cut 11 suits from a bale of cloth from which an unskilful tailor
can only cut ten, then in the hands of the skilful tailor the bale was used with 10 per cent.
greater productivity.

Productivity of Machines:
The productivity of machines and equipment (capital input) can be improved at the design
stage by choosing the product and process design so as to ensure the most economical use

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of capital input. At the operations stage too, the productivity of can be increased by
removing the inefficiencies in the use of capital input.

Eg: If a machine tool has been producing 100 pieces per working day and through the use of
improved cutting tools its output in the same time is increased to 120 pieces, then the
productivity of that machine has been increased by 20 per cent.

Productivity of manpower:
Improvement in the productivity of manpower can be achieved by economical and efficient
use of labour input at the product and process design stage and operations stage. An
increase in the productivity of labour may occur due to installation of new machinery or due
to better planning of the work on the part of the management.

Eg: If a potter has been producing 30 plates an hour and improved methods of work enable
him to produce 40 plates an hour, the productivity of that man has increased by 33 1/3 per
cent.

Productivity measurement at the enterprise level:

Total productivity is the ratio of the aggregate output to aggregate input. The overall
performance of an enterprise is captured in this ratio.
Total productivity =

If the outputs and inputs for the period for which productivity is measured, are expressed in
monetary terms (in rupees), then under certain restrictive assumptions one can write:
Aggregate output = Gross sales = ………..(1)
Aggregate input = Cost = …………(2)

Thus, Total productivity = P =

From the broad definition of profit, we have:
Profit = Δ = –

From (1) and (2), P = 1 + , which implies that zero profit will give a productivity value of 1,
while a loss will give a value less than 1. The profit to cost ratio will determine the increase
in the productivity.
Aggregate output = G = ∑ (in rupees)
Where,
= Number of units of product i produced during the period.
= The base period price for product i (in rupees). Base period may be taken as an
earlier period with average production.

Aggregate input = C = M +L+K (in rupees)

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Where,
M = Material input (in rupees) = ∑

= Quantity of material i used during the period for producing the products.
= Cost per unit of raw material i in the base year.

L = Labour input (in rupees) = ∑

= Number of man hours put in by labour category i during the period under
consideration.
= Base year’s hourly wage rate.

K = Capital and land input (in rupees) = ∑ + AI +R

= Depreciation (in rupees) for the fixed asset i.
I = Cost of capital in base period (percentage).
A = Total working capital in the period (in rupees).
R = Rental or equivalent of the value of land in base period(in rupees).

Partial productivity is the ratio of the aggregate output to any single input. Partial
productivity measures, such as, labour productivity and capital productivity (Productivity of
machines) are to be used together with the total productivity measure in order to make any
meaningful interpretation.

Labour productivity = , and

Capital productivity =

Time is implicit in any productivity measure as both the output of goods and services and
input of resources are to be measured for the period for which the measure is sought.
Productivity is frequently measured as the output of goods or services in a given number of
man-hours or machine-hours. Labour productivity is expressed in terms of output per
man-hour and productivity of machines is expresses as output per machine-hour.

A man-hour is the labour of one man for one hour.

A machine-hour is the running of a machine or piece of plant for one hour.

Both at the national and industry level, labour productivity is found to be the most common
measure. This may be due to the fact that advances in any country have taken place by the
displacement of labour by capital. Thus, the output per worker in an economy, is taken as a
better indicator of the level of prosperity of the people in the economy compared to any
other partial measures, with a higher labour productivity figure being interpreted as an
advancement of the economy.

The task of the management

The management of the enterprise is responsible for making sure that the resources are
used in best possible manner and for combining these resources in such a way as to achieve

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the greatest productivity. In any business concern the work of balancing the use of one
resource against another and of co-ordinating the efforts of everyone in the organisation to
achieve the best results is the job of the management. If the management fails to do what is
necessary then the enterprise will fail in the end. In such a case the four resources become
uncoordinated like the efforts of four horses without a driver. The enterprise, like a
driverless coach, moves forward jerkily, now held up for lack of material, now for lack of
equipment; because machines are badly chosen and even more badly maintained, or
because employees are unable or unwilling to do their best. The management should also
motivate the people at levels of the enterprise for their active participation and cooperation
towards carrying out its activities successfully. The key position of the management is
shown in the figure 1.1.

Figure 1.1. The role of the management in co-ordinating the resources of an enterprise

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Total time of a job (Total time of operation /Total manufacturing time ):

The time taken by a man or a machine to carry out an operation or to produce a given quantity
of product may be considered as made up in the following manner which is illustrated in the
figure 1.2.

Total time of operation = Basic work content + Excess work content (Excess time) +Ineffective
time

Work content means the amount of work "contained in" a given product or process
measured in man-hours or machine-hours.

The basic work content is the irreducible minimum time theoretically required to produce
one unit of output or the operation to perform if the design or specification were perfect,
the process or method of manufacture or operation perfectly carried out, and there was no
loss of working time from any cause whatsoever during the period of the operation (other
than legitimate rest pauses permitted to the operative).

This is obviously a perfect condition which never occurs in practice, although it may sometimes
be approached, especially in processing industries. In general, however, actual operation
times are far in excess of it on account of excess work content.

Excess work content (excess time): It is the additional time taken over and above the basic
work content during the processing of a job due to the defects in the design or specification of
the product and inefficiencies inherent in the process or method of manufacture or
operation.

Ineffective time: It is the additional time taken during the processing of a job due to the
shortcomings on the part of the management and due to factors within the control of the
worker. During ineffective time man or machine or both become idle.

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Figure 1.2. How manufacturing time is made up

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Factors tending to reduce productivity:

A. Work content added due to the imperfect design product:

1) The product and its components may be so designed that it is impossible to use the
most economical processes or methods of manufacture. Components may not be
designed to take advantage of high-production machinery.
2) Excessive variety of products or lack of standardisation of components may mean that
batches of work have to be small and cannot be put on special-purpose high-production
machines but have to be done on slower general-purpose machines.
3) Incorrect quality standards, whether too high or too low, may increase work content. In
engineering practice close tolerances, requiring extra machining, are often put on
dimensions where they are quite unnecessary. There will thus be more rejects and a
corresponding waste of material. Material of too low a quality may make it difficult to
work to the finish required or may make additional preparation of the product, such as
cleaning, necessary to make it usable.
4) The components of a product may be so designed that an excessive amount of material
has to be removed to bring them to their final shape. This increases the work content of
the job and wastes material as well

B. Work content added due to the inefficient process or method:

1) If the wrong type or size of machine is used, one which has a lower output than the
correct one (examples: small capstan work put on a turret or centre lathe; narrow cloth
put on too wide a loom).
2) If the process is not operating properly, that is at the correct feed, speed, rate of flow,
temperature, density of solution or whatever conditions govern its operation, or if the
plant or machine is in bad condition.
3) If the wrong hand tools are used.
4) If the layout of the factory, shop or workplace causes wasted movement, time or effort.
5) If the working methods of the operative cause wasted movement, time or effort.

The work content due to the product and processes is illustrated in figure 1.3.

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Figure 1.3. The work content due to the product and processes

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C. Ineffective time added due to the shortcomings on the part of the management

1) By a marketing policy which demands an unnecessarily large number of types of

product. This causes short runs of each type, and machines are idle while they are
being changed over to manufacture different products. The workers do not have the
opportunity to acquire skill and speed in any one operation.
2) By failing to standardise component parts as far as possible between products or
within product. This has the same effect that is, short runs and idle time.
3) By failing to ensure that designs are properly developed or that customers'
requirements are met from the beginning. This results in changes of design causing
stoppages of work and loss of machine- and man-hours as well as waste of material.
4) By failing to plan the flow of work and of orders, with the result that one order does
not follow immediately on another and plant and labour are not continuously
employed.
5) By failing to ensure a supply of raw materials, tools and other equipment necessary
to do the work, so that plant and labour are kept waiting.
6) By failing to maintain plant and machines properly. This leads to stoppages due to
machine breakdowns.
7) By allowing plant and machinery to be operated in bad condition so that work is
scrapped or returned for rectification and has to be done again. Time spent in
rework is ineffective.
8) By failing to provide working conditions in which the operative can work steadily.
9) By failing to take proper precautions for the safety of workers. This causes lost time
due to accidents.

D. Ineffective Time within the Control of the Worker

1) By workers taking time off work without good cause: by lateness, by failing to start
work immediately after clocking in, by idling at work or by deliberately working
slowly.
2) By careless workmanship causing scrap or making it necessary for work to be done
again.
3) By failing to observe safety regulations and by having or causing accidents through
carelessness.

If all the factors enumerated under the four heads above can be eliminated (the ideal case
which, of course, never occurs in real life), the minimum time for the production of a given
output and hence the maximum productivity is achieved. The factors responsible for
ineffective time due to shortcomings on the part of management and workers have been
shown in figure 1.4.

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Figure 1.4. Ineffective time due to shortcomings on the part of management and workers

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Techniques for productivity improvement:

Management techniques are systematic procedures of investigation, planning or control

which can be applied to management problems. Productivity of an organisation can be
improved by the application of management techniques to reduce the excess work content
and ineffective time.

Management techniques for reducing the excess work content:

1) By bringing coordination between design and production staff during the product
development stage avoids the defects in the design and specification of the product and
reduces excess work content.
2) Specialisation and standardization are the techniques by which the variety of products
or components can be reduced and batch sizes increased so that use can be made of
high-production processes.
3) Market research, consumer research and product research techniques help the
management to accurately assess the requirements of the market, consumer and
quality standards respectively and eliminates rejections and reduces excess work
content.
4) Value analysis technique helps in systematised investigation of the product and its
manufacture to reduce cost and improve value and hence reduction of work content.
5) The process planning technique reduces the excess work content by specifying the
correct machines on which the product and its components shall be made , the types of
tools necessary and the speeds, feeds and other conditions under which the machines
shall be run.
6) Process research technique helps the management to discover the best manufacturing
techniques
7) Proper maintenance will ensure that plant and machinery is operating properly and will
prolong its life, so reducing capital expenditure.
8) Method study coupled with operator training reduces the work content by improving
the layout of the factory, shop or workplace and the working methods of the operative.

Figure 1.5 shows the effect of these techniques when applied to reduce the work
content of the process.

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Figure 1.5. How management techniques can reduce excess work content

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Management techniques for reducing the ineffective time due to the

management and within the control of the worker:

1) Marketing policy and specialization reduces idle time due to reduction in product
variety and hence reduces ineffective time.
2) Standardisation of components will also reduce ineffective time. Standardizing
most of the components in a range of models of the same type of product results
in longer runs and reduces the time spent in changing over machines.
3) The product development technique helps to achieve perfection in the product
design as per the customer requirements and reduces ineffective time due to
frequent design changes or modifications.
4) The production planning and control function based on Work measurement
technique ensures continuous flow of job orders to the plant and workers,
thereby reducing the ineffective time.
5) Material control technique ensures continuous supply of raw materials and tools
as required by workers and machines during the production process and
reduces the ineffective time.
6) Proper maintenance reduces the idle time due to machine and plant breakdowns
and thereby improves productivity and reduces manufacturing cost. Maintenance
also reduces inefficient time due to plant and machinery in bad condition.
7) Good working conditions enables the workers to overcome fatigue or the effects
of heat, fumes, cold or bad lighting and thereby reduces ineffective time.
8) Proper precautions and safety measures from the management for the safety of the
workers reduces the ineffective time arising due to accidents.
9) A sound personnel policy results in good relationship between the management
and employees and increases the willingness of the worker to get on with the job
and hence reduces the ineffective time.
10) A sound wage structure and incentive schemes based on accurate time
standards usually set by work measurement discourages absenteeism on the
part of workers and reduces ineffective time.
11) Proper operator training reduces ineffective time due to careless workmanship
and the carelessness towards safety measures on the part of the worker leading
to accidents.

Figure 1.6 shows the effect of these techniques when applied to reduce the
ineffective time work content of the process due to the management and workers.

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Figure 1.6. How management techniques can reduce ineffective time

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Work study:

Definition:

“Work study is a generic term for those techniques, particularly Method study and
Work measurement, which are used in the examination of human work in all its contexts,
and which lead systematically to the investigation of all the factors which affect the
efficiency and economy of the situation being reviewed, in order to effect improvement.”

Work study is thus especially concerned with productivity. It is most frequently used to
increase the amount produced from a given quantity of resources without further capital
investment except, perhaps, on a very small scale. Work study was widely known for years
as "time and motion study", but with the development of the technique and its application
to a very wide range of activities it was felt by many people that the older title was both too
narrow and insufficiently descriptive.

Techniques of Work study and their relationship:

The two techniques Work study are Method study and Work measurement.

Method study is the systematic recording and critical examination of existing and proposed
ways of doing work, as a means of developing and applying easier and more effective
methods and reducing costs.

Work measurement is the application of techniques designed to establish the time for a
qualified worker to carry out a specified job at a defined level of performance.

Method study and Work measurement are, therefore, closely linked. Method study is
concerned with the reduction of the work content of a job or operation, while Work
measurement is mostly concerned with the investigation and reduction of any ineffective
time associated with it; and with the subsequent establishment of time standards for the
operation when carried out in the improved fashion, as determined by Method study. The
relationship of Method study to Work measurement is shown simply in figure 1.7.

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Figure 1.7. Work study

Why is work study valuable?

Work study is a valuable "tool" of management. There reasons may be summarized as
follows:

(1) It is a means of raising the productivity of a plant or operating unit by the

reorganization of work, a method which normally involves little or no capital
expenditure on facilities and equipment.
(2) It is systematic. This ensures that no factor affecting the efficiency of an operation is
overlooked, whether in analysing the original practices or in developing the new, and
that all the facts about that operation are available.
(3) It is the most accurate means yet evolved of setting standards of performance (time
standards), on which the effective planning and control of production depends.

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(4) It can contribute to the improvement of safety and working conditions at work by
exposing hazardous operations and developing safer methods of performing
operations.
(5) The savings resulting from properly applied Work study start at once and continue as
long as the operation continues in the improved form.
(6) It is a universal "tool" which can be applied everywhere. It can be used with success
wherever work is done or plant is operated, not only in manufacturing shops but also in
offices, stores, laboratories and service industries such as wholesale and retail
distribution and restaurants, and on farms.
(7) It is relatively cheap and easy to apply.
(8) It is one of the most penetrating tools of investigation available to management. This
makes it an excellent weapon for starting an attack on inefficiency in any organization
since, in investigating one set of problems, the weaknesses of all the other functions
affecting them will gradually be laid bare.( Work study acts like a surgeon's knife, laying
bare the activities of a company and their functioning, good or bad, for all to see).

The basic procedure of Work study:

There are eight steps in performing a complete Work study. They are:

1. Select the job or process to be studied.

2. Record from direct observation everything that happens, using the most suitable of the
recording techniques, so that the data will be in the most convenient form to be
analysed.
3. Examine the recorded facts critically and challenge everything that is done, considering
in turn: the purpose of the activity; the place where it is performed; the sequence in
which it is done; the person who is doing it; the means by which it is done.
4. Develop the most economic method taking into account all the circumstances.
5. Measure the quantity of work involved in the method selected and calculate a standard
time for doing it.
6. Define the new method and the related time so that it can always be identified.
7. Install the new method as agreed standard practice with the time allowed.
8. Maintain the new standard practice by proper control procedures.

Steps 1, 2 and 3 occur in every study, whether the technique being used is Method study or
Work measurement. Step 4 is part of Method study practice, while step 5 calls for the use of
Work measurement.

Human factor in the application of Work study:

Before the application of work study technique in an enterprise there must be a good
relationship between the management and workers. Under such an atmosphere when the
management shows willingness to Work study the workers also support it, otherwise

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workers may regard Work study as another technique of the management to extract more
work out of them without any incentives.

Work study and the management relationship:

Work study being ruthlessly systematic and most penetrating tool of investigation can act
like a surgeon’s knife, laying bare the activities performed on the part of the management.
The activities being either good or bad.

Work study exposes the failures of members of management, supervisory staff in planning,
production control and other areas concerned with the management. Since, nobody likes
being shown up of their inabilities before others in an enterprise, the Work study
programme may cause resentment and it may lack the full support and cooperation of the
management people.

Since, Work study has such a far reaching effects throughout an organisation, it should be
implemented very carefully and tact fully by the Work study person. For this purpose, the
people in the top management should be explained very clearly the purpose, procedures,
results of Work study. This makes the Work study person to gain full backing from the
management. Once the top management accepts Work study, automatically their
subordinates take interest in it. To make the management personnel fully aware of Work
study, some short term courses on Work study can be conducted for them either by the
organisation or through work study institutions.

Work study and the supervisor (middle management) relationship:

This is the most crucial relationship. Work study man’s success depends on the supervisor’s
or foreman’s attitude towards Work study. Supervisor represents the management to the
workers on the on the shop floor. Therefore, when he neglects Work study then, workers
also neglect Work study.

As the supervisor is responsible for various activities, processes taking place on the shop
floor, he may feel that his prestige in the company has lessened and he has been
underestimated, when the Work study person shows improvements in existing activities or
process of the shop floor by the successive application of Work study and workers’ full
credit goes to Work study man. That is why supervisor must be explained carefully about
the purpose of Work study and he should be made clear that no responsibility is snatched
away from him. The prior knowledge of Work study helps the supervisor to understand the
problem during disputes between workers and Work study person. Also, the Work study
man should be honest toward supervisor and his authority to gain his full cooperation. A full
time training programme on Work study for supervisors is helpful to create awareness
regarding Work study.

Work study and the worker relationship:

For a Work study practitioner it is very essential to understand the behaviour of people at
different situations. Behavioural science says that individuals or workers are motivated to
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act in a certain way by a desire to satisfy certain needs. The behaviour of workers in an
enterprise can be understood by studying the “Hierarchy of needs” for any individual
proposed by Abraham Maslow as depicted below:

The worker community in an organization will strive to fulfil these needs during their service.
That is why workers form an informal group to look after their sentiments. At the same time,
they belong to formal group which is the worker community formed by the management.

The results of Work study when applied may eliminate certain operations causing
unemployment to the worker which is a direct threat to his job security. This may result in
resistance to Work study by worker community. Hence, the Work study analyst should explain
the workers about the importance of labour to the productivity. He should not hide any facts
about his work. Workers representatives are to be informed clearly about Work study. He
should welcome the ideas, suggestions of workers during improvement of a method or process.
He must assure job security to workers.

Qualifications and essential personal qualities of Work study man:

a) Education:

In addition to secondary education with matriculation or the equivalent school leaving

examination it is desirable for the Work study person to have a university degree in
engineering or management or the equivalent. This helps him to analyse production
methods and operation sequences for optimality both during the evaluation of the
existing method and during the development of new methods.

b) Practical Experience:
It is desirable for the Work study man to have practical experience in one or more
processes of the industry. It helps him to understand the difficulties experienced by
workers in the work place. Practical experience will also command respect from
foremen and workers and enables him to adapt to other industries.

c) Personal Qualities:

A Work study man should possess personal qualities which enable him to improve
human relations in an enterprise. These qualities help him to and gain cooperation of
engineers and technicians towards methods improvement tasks undertaken.

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 Work Systems Engineering

The essential qualities of a Work study man are as follows:

1) Sincerity and honesty:

The work study man must be sincere and he must be honest in his work to gain the
confidence and respect of those with whom he has to deal.
2) Enthusiasm:
He must be really keen on his job, believe in the importance of what he is doing and be
able to transmit his enthusiasm to the people around him.
3) Interest in and sympathy with people:
He must be able to get along with people at all levels. To get along with people it is
necessary to be interested in them and able to see their points of view.
4) Tact:
Tact in dealing with people comes from understanding people and not wishing to hurt
their feelings by unkind or thoughtless words, even when these may be justified.
The application of Work study is an art. The tact is key for the success of Work
study man.
5) Good appearance:
He must be neat and tidy and look efficient. This will inspire confidence in him among
the people with whom he has to work.
6) Self-confidence:
This can only come with good training and experience of applying Work study
successfully. The Work study man must be able to stand up to top management,
foremen, trade union officials or workers in defence of his opinions and findings, and do
so in such a way that he will win respect and not give offence.

Department of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, MIT, Manipal 24

 Work Systems Engineering

Department of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, MIT, Manipal 25