In the late nineteenth century, industrial firms adopted systematic management techniques primarily to standardize production processes. Proponents argued that codifying workplace methods would eliminate inefficiencies caused by individual worker idiosyncrasies. However, historian Daniel Nelson notes that the introduction of standardized tools often met with subtle resistance from skilled artisans, who viewed such measures as an infringement on their autonomy. In response, factory administrators implemented performance-based bonus systems alongside standardized procedures. These incentive schemes were intended not merely to boost daily output, but to reconcile workers to the loss of operational independence by tying compliance directly to monetary rewards.
The author mentions "performance-based bonus systems" primarily in order to:
- explain how factory administrators attempted to overcome worker opposition to standardized methodsAnswer
- Bidentify the primary motivation behind the initial adoption of systematic management techniques
- Ccondemn administrators for disregarding the professional values of skilled artisans
- Ddemonstrate that financial rewards were ineffective in mitigating workplace friction
- Edescribe a strategy devised by skilled artisans to preserve their operational independence