ABSTRACT
The most stupendous improvement plans in the world will be ineffective unless they are translated into practice. Often at this stage the resistance of habit will prevent shop workers from implementing improvement plans. Industrial engineering (IE) generates improvement plans based on waste found in an investigation of the status quo. By contrast, the work-design approach starts from zero in dealing with materials costs and labor costs. The proponents of work design claim that their approach is by far less costly than IE, since, without exception, work-design improvement plans are less expensive than IE improvement plans. The cleanliness of the insides of buildings is part of the reason for this impression, of course. In addition, lawns and courtyards are planted with trees and are full of greenery and blooming flowers, all to please the sensibilities of the observer. Indeed, many factories give the impression of being located in the midst of a park.
