Efficiency Methods
An Introduction to Scientific Management

THE INSTALLATION OF EFFICIENCY METHODS 205 be assured that he is a thorough, competent, and experienced engineer ; his record is everything, his promises nothing ; in fact, a candidate who promises very glibly is entirely to be distrusted. The affair is not one of juggling with figures about time saved here and expense saved there. Mr. Kent hopes a good deal from the institution of two new societies of engineers, both formed in 1912. One, called the Efficiency Society, is rather wide in its scope, but includes among its aims making a list of those of its members who are engineers who can undertake management. The other, the Society to Promote the Science of Management, is more definitely com- mitted to Taylorian methods, and consists of mem- bers who have already operated, or are now being trained to operate, by those methods. A third and younger society, the Taylor Co-operators, dates from the time of his death, and is pledged to carry on the general propaganda of the methods on the lines he had laid down for his own activities as consultant in his last years. It would seem only right to conclude this dis- cussion of installation by some statements as to the results to be obtained by efficiency methods. But people with some experience will be quite aware that results given merely as printed figures are not very convincing. The English establishments which are trying the methods are, very wisely, not making any premature statements of results; and the quickly changing, essentially temporary, conditions in which we all live at present make comparison