Repository: UIHistories Project: SWE - Proceedings of the First International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists [PAGE 51]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

"...one of the secrets of efficient production control is to restrict the amount of work made available to the shops so that the number of jobs which have to be scheduled and progressed in detail is reduced to a minimum. This also limits the freedom of shop floor personnel to choose between different jobs - a very worth while limitation in view of the fact that many production hold-ups are caused by misguided initiative based on incomplete knowledge of the whole situation..." This statement disregards completely the fact that human initiative is one of the rarest and most desirable qualities. If initiative is misguided because of incomplete knowledge, then this is an indictment of the management concerned. Breakdown of communications - worse, no attempt at communication - is one of the primary causes of bad labor relations. Introducing computer control into production also raises problems of the responses of the people concerned. The shop supervisor, the foreman, even the chargehand, automatically have to forego a great deal of their responsibility, since many decisions are no longer their responsibility, but are automatically made by the computer. They therefore lose status. Unless management becomes far more aware of the importance of these problems and much more thought is given to the implications deriving from the science of Industrial Psychology, the description "Scientific Management" remains a misnomer. In this context labor relations officers must also be mentioned. This job is frequently done by the Welfare Officer, or some member of the management team is charged with taking special care of the labor force. These men or women are not, as a rule, engineers but have some training in the social sciences. They have to keep in close contact with trade union officials and shop stewards. They can have a very great influence on the smooth working of production.

TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE IN SOCIETY Technology and Science cannot be considered in isolation. They can be understood only as phenomena in the context of the society in which they exist. To the same extent as these disciplines have influenced and changed the environment, so they are being moulded and influenced by it. Without the social background to which technology and science are adapted and which feeds them, their future growth and development, their very existence would be impossible. It is essential for engineers and scientists to be aware of these connections and to foster such awareness. Technical and scientific concepts and ideas must be made familiar to the general public in order to create a responsive atmosphere and a climate suitable for scientific and technological development. The writers of popular scientific and technological literature aimed at the laymen are of the greatest assistance in building up such an atmosphere. Particularly valuable is literature of this nature addressed to children. There are many

1-38