Craft to Mass Production (Essay Sample)

Student’s Name
Professor
Course
Date
From Craft Production to Mass Production
How did work change over the period in question?
The shift from craft to mass production got inspiration from the desire to lower costs of production as well as attain standard production standards that would allow production of homogenous materials targeted at particular market segments. In the craft production ages, the market was mainly the society’s elite who could afford customized goods. Transitioning to mass production allowed harmonization of the workforce from previous independent sections to the formation of a single production unit. During the craft production era, work mainly depended on highly skilled workers charged with production in their various specialties (Womack 22). However, on the rise of organizational management and the shift to mass production, organizations focused on transferring these skills from the people into automated systems. This transfer was through a process termed as de-skilling. The benefits presented by de-skilling were enormous as it became possible to produce technically and physically homogenous products through the standardization of the production process.
With the introduction of standardization in the production processes, there came some level of control over the workforce. A supervisor replaced the foreperson who had been a skilled laborer put in charge of his fellow workers. With the progress of the scientific processes, the production volumes significantly increased as machines proved to be more efficient than the craftsmen. At this point, work experience was disregarded. Managers saw as the process of transforming an artist into a machine operator needed them first to do away with the knowledge and experience they applied as craftsmen and switch to the new machine-driven production.
Regardless of the intense resistance to the changes, work was significantly simplified by mechanization. This simplification according to Smith who stated it was essential for the division of labor and its simplification for any organization engaged in production activities to realize reasonable profit margins. The bureaucracy’s introduction by organization owners was solely aiming at the conversion of these bodies to into predictable units. The scientific management and mechanization changes also aimed at the attainment of competitive advantage in particular operation markets. The payment structures underwent harmonization through the scientific approach. Previously, the craftsman controlled both his career and that of his assistant. Assistants’ hiring and firing was at the discretion of the artist. Further, their payment was a portion of the craftsman’s salary.
What were the most important things about how work changed?
The most significant changes that occurred in the production process. Enterprise owners introduced the concept of labor division and work specialization in a bid to boost production levels. Among the significant benefits realized from the division of labor is an increase in the workload handled by an individual worker (Smith, Cannan and Lerner 8). Further, the concept of time management was also addressed through the division of labor. Significant changes in the emergence of capitalism were evident in the control of work. Unlike before when the craftsmen were in control of the production process, capitalism brought in mechanisms to place controls over labor markets and give business owners control over their companies. The resulting changes sought to realign the human relationship involved the production process. The introduction of scientific management tried to bring in systematic controls that supported the use of specialized machines, application of cost accounting procedures and also the application of motivational approaches to increase employee productivity. According to (Montgomery 114) the key features of the change from craft production to mass production are;
* Systematic analysis of distinct production operations.
* Centralization of planning and routing functions of the organization
* Detailed instruction and supervision of individual performance
* The introduction of ages aiming at motivating employees to stick to their job instructions.
How did the workers understand, experience and respond to these changes?
Economist Smith and Marx had different perceptions of the concept of work. While Smith viewed work as a source of wealth and personal growth for the worker, Marx termed worked as a fundamental activity for them human being for their survival (Marx and Raines 118). This difference in views is also similar to one held by workers on the changes from craft production to capitalism. To the workers, the transition did not command significant favor. Craftsmen sought to defend the integrity of their trade. They were in opposition to machines taking over production as it would put the jobs of fellow workers in jeopardy and also bring in supervisory control that they did not like very much (Milkman 24). Under the process of deskilling, organization managements sought to transfer the technical knowledge from the craftsmen to members of the management team (engineers). To the craftsmen, this was an honest practice of knowledge thievery and an outrage to honorable behavior expected at the workplace.
Workers unions were set up to protect the interests of the craftsmen and prevent any form of exploitation by their employers. These differences made it difficult for industries to shift to capitalistic operations. The companies found dealing with non-unionised workers easier as they employed monetary and non-monetary incentives to induce them into the new system of operation. The unionised workers stood against the new operation practices under which industry owners expressed their desire to; attain complete and exclusive control of production, reward employees on meritocracy basis, attain the full rights to review of employee merits and settle disputes with their employees without the interference of external bodies such workers unions. The resistance to standardization was prolonged leading to major confrontations between the workers and their employers. The workers resulted in the formation of organizations that supported the autonomy of the craftsman while the manufacturers stuck to scientific management (Montgomery 11). At the height of the controversies, the employees were involved in major strikes and conflicts with employers’ organizations.
What did the authors and workers think made a good job and how did that change over the period we have read. What did the authors and workers think needed to be done?