The function master system decreases/goes back to American engineer and founder of the Scientific management Frederick Winslow Taylor. In this line system the separation from hand and head work manifests itself. In place of a universal master there are several specialized function masters, who in each case give on their special field instructions to the workers, which leads to a multiple assumption of the workers. The multi-line system as a ideal-typical basic form of a line system, finds its origin in Taylors function master system.

Characteristics

Due to the problem situation of the US industry at the beginning 20. Century consisted Taylors tendency of creating a line system a transformation and an optimization of the industriellen of production and working processes made possible.

In the first step Taylor analyzed all existing working processes. The core of this analysis and thus the transformation was first of all providing time-studies with the help of a stop watch, secondly the dismantling of the working processes in individual action and grasp elements and in the long run the new combination of these action elements. In the context of these time-studies it partitioned for example the work into simple Elementarbewegungen. Taylor was thus able to determine redundant movements and switch these off. The moreover one thereby training and recovery periods became accurately calculable.

The preparation of the work took place in a central work office, in which specialized officials substantial functions of the former workshop masters transferred. To call would be the work distributor, the instruction master and the time and the cost official. The work office was supplemented by function masters, like the surveyor, the device master, the speed master, the test master and the maintenance master, who were directly in the workshop active and but concern to carry had that the guidances were implemented by the workers.

The substantial difference compared with the previous line systems with a workshop master, who was responsible for everything, existed in a specialization of the line functions, everyone of the eight function masters was for a certain function within the enterprise responsible and in it specialized. This principle caused a multiple assumption of the coworkers, it also as the principle of the shortest way is designated, since the coworkers did not have to keep when emerging a problem the rigid way a line system, but directly the responsible specialist to contact could.

Advantages

The advantages of the function master system are on the one hand in it that the function masters are specialized in a certain area, what an increase in output effectuation, on the other hand in the possibility of using in place of highly-qualified Allrounder "„trained specialists "“into leading positions. A further advantage exists in making the vertical relations flexible, i.e. the multiple assumptions cause among other things shorter information paths.

Disadvantages

When disadvantages of this system apply the problems of the demarcation of competencies - the coworkers do not know partially, which superiors they have to contact -, the danger of authority conflicts between the superiors, the large need at line forces, the large tuning and communication need, the difficulty of the error addition as well as the alienation in the superiors - coworkers - relations.

Areas of application

Although the human work at the beginning of the century in the USA represented a bottleneck factor, the spreading of the function master system was nevertheless small in the industry. If the system was used, then only in modified form.

Reasons for it were among other things the high expenditure, which the reorganization of the enterprises required, the power loss of the entrepreneurs by the employment of the work offices and the fear of worker and trade union protests. Additionally the function master system was suitable only for large enterprises with quantity production. Also in Germany the system Taylors found only a small spreading in the industry.

With the beginning of the mass production however Taylors principles introduction found into many industrial companies and are there today still another important component of the production everyday life. Henry Ford for example, which used the assembly-line production in automobile production, made itself Taylors of realizations too uses.

Can general however be determined that the multi-line system in its ideal-typical development did not work in practice, however in weakened form this very day validity possesses. Modern organization forms, like e.g. the matrix organization, show this. Here a subordinated place receives instructions from two superordinate places, whereby the one line dimension is function-oriented during the other one is object-oriented. This concerns a special multi-line system. Undisputed the separation from mentally preparing work and practically implementing work became generally accepted.

Finally it is to be said that the function master system, despite its small meaning in practice, is nevertheless an important design concept. Its effects are to be felt until today, in particular which concerns the specialization of the superior functions and making the vertical relations flexible within an enterprise.

Literature

• Manfred training to living: Organization. 3. Edition. Vahlen, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-800-62825-2
• O. green: Organization. In: F. Scheuch (Hrsg.): General management economics. Service specialized publishing house, Vienna 1990, ISBN 3-85428-170-6

Related links

• The fundamentals of the Taylor system
• The beginning Taylors (Scientific management)

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