Omaha daily bee., 1921-04-18

| "A served that many customers had curious habit
q of turning from the counter to glance hurredy
H9&MH around the place. One day. after this momen-
s1 tary survey, woman shopper asked the time
When the next customer looked around in the same
searching way the girl noticed that at the end of her
inspection the woman glanced at her watch
1t enough; the girl got the idea Today there
is big clock, centrally placed the main floor of that
store. Eventual y the management might have dscov-
cred the lack OF convenience that many customers
expected and looked fort might have thought in time
of the need of cleck-but it was the empoye down
the floor who did think of and had enough selfconfi
dence to carry her suggestion to the office.
In the old days boiermakers had lot of trouble
with the bolts used in securing the plates together.
Often the ends of bolts would get battered in the proc
ess OF handling and it impossible to start the nuts
on the smashed threads. Then of the men in the
shops suggested that the bolts be made with taperng
ends, thus allowing tolerance for rough handling That
simple suggestion of worker has saved of labor
in the numerous plants where the idea is now used.
Ip foremans office in Akron factory frequent
use was required of certain gauge. Invariably the
gauge was out OF sight, stuck in pigeon-hole
drawer or buried under pile of papers, nesting in
the pocket of the foreman, assistant foreman who
ever had used last Many valuable minutes lost
daily in searching for the gauge, until one day work
man suggested that the little instrument be attached to
chain and the chain fastened to the foreman's desk
This suggestion has worked like charm in saving time
and temper yet it isn't anything but plain common sense
the sort OF idea that any brain in the shop capable
of originating.
Capable of it? Yes. But managers know that in
the rank and file Of industry and even in the upper
ranks-original ideas seldom materalize voluntarily
and spontaneously, like spring sonnet or fairy god
mother. Like the tabled geni of the lamp they require
some assurance and encouragement. The average en-
ploye in the average business house has natural
hesltancy hmidity, about going to the boss with a
method customary process proved piece of equip
ment There is traditional feeling that suggestions
from below are not welcomed by the higher up
that they may in fact be resented implied criticism
OF some superior worst of ALL that they may be OBJ
jects of rdicule Management is not altogether blame
less for this attitude.
hat
factory about 2S ago. said industrial manager
now an important executive in New England plant
There was young mechanic taken on who was very
genius for pong his into things restless and eager
about nventng Inside of the first month he went to
his foreman with an idea for foot control for the
machine he was operating. 1t was a revolutionary
thing; it meant an increase of speed and output But
did the young mechanic put across? He did not The
foreman looked at the design with suspicious eye
grunted told the youth to leave with him few days.
and promptly laid the thing away and apparently
forgot it.
1.-TWO weeks later the employe ventured to ask his
foreman if he had had chance to look into the matter
Too damn expensive, said the foreman shaking his
head. don't say mightnt work. but we can't 60 and
scrap whole shop full of hghprced machinery just
to try out some smart notion of yours know this ex.
perlence because that boy continued the execu-
tive i quit, and I've never been back don't know
what was done with my design but do know that the
idea is very generally applied in machines of that type
today. I've often wondered whether that foreman stole
my poor little brain-child.'
ITO get anywhere worth going, said the New Eng
land manager just quoted "a suggestion system has to
come out in the open and actively bid for suggestions"
Where the suggestion system is basis of money
awards many companies have found helpful to classify
their awards according to arbitrary groupings The Ma
tonal Safety Council cites company having this
schedule:
$3.50 for suggestions that are neither original nor
have any appreciable money value yet that should be
adopted, perhaps with modification
$500 for suggestions that not original but have
appreciable money value.
$1,000 for suggestions that are not original but
have considerable money value.
$1,000 for suggestions that are original but have
no appreciable moAey value.
$4,000 for suggestions that are original and have
considerable money value.
$4,000 or more for particularly valuable sugges-
tons Awards in excess of $4,000 must first be approved
by the general manager
$500 additional award to anyone who submits five
adopted suggestions.
Where suggestion systems have been the most sue
cessIul we IND that the management is actively as well
as theoretically behind the system