Henry Gant (history, biography, researcher's activities are described below) is the author of the chart of the same name in management. Today it has become a project management tool; in the 1920s it was a global innovation. But Gant's legacy was not only that. He became the first ideologist of social responsibility of business and the forerunner of the school of human relations. This article will describe his brief biography and main ideas.
Life and career
Henry Gant was born in Maryland in 1861. The boy's parents were wealthy farmers. Henry's childhood fell on the Civil War, which significantly affected family well-being. Gantes lived in constant deprivation. After graduating from the Johns Hopkins Institute, Henry worked as a teacher. In 1884, the young man learned to become a mechanical engineer and got a job as a designer.
In 1887, Henry Gant became an assistant engineer to F. Taylor at the Midvale Steel Company. Then the young man headed the foundry. At first, Taylor and Gant collaborated very fruitfully, so in the future, Henry transferred to the manager first at the Symonds Rolling Company, and then at Betleheim Steel.
The fame came to the researcher in 1900. Gant has become a successful consultant specializing in various aspects of management, including highly controversial ones. And since 1917, Henry joined the government commission. In its composition, he advised such military factories as the Emergency Fleet Corporation and the Frankford Arsenal. Researcher died in 1919.
Main ideas
To many people, Gant Henry is known as a student of Taylor and a popularizer of the school of scientific management. At the beginning of their collaboration, the young man dealt with the technical problems of management. The researcher was convinced that only the use of scientific analysis in relation to each aspect of the labor process would ensure production efficiency. Henry's overall contribution to management can be expressed in four concepts.
1. Remuneration for work
In 1901, Gant introduced his system of bonus pay. He developed it based on the Taylor concept of piecework reward. The latter provided for a number of fines for those who did not fulfill the plan.
Gant Henry modified this concept. According to his system, when implementing a daily plan, an employee received a bonus for a regular salary. If the required amount of work was not performed, then only the salary was saved. This really motivated employees to earn more and increased labor efficiency many times over.
The result of the application of this concept was the doubling of production indicators. Henry also found that a very important aspect of management is the interest in employees and their moral condition.
2. Worker's perspective
Gant continued the research and, based on its results, improved the concept. So, for the work done on time (or faster), he set a time payment plus a percentage for the time saved. For example, with a two-hour task completed on time, an employee received a three-hour salary.
3. Chart
It has become an effective tool for fixing the implementation of the plan by workers. For each employee, daily accounting was conducted. If the plan was fulfilled, a black line was used, in the opposite case, a red one. In 1917, Gant Henry faced the problem of coordinating various tasks in the implementation of state orders by military factories. After conducting a series of studies, he realized that the plan should be focused not on temporary but on quantitative indicators.
As a result, the researcher came up with a diagram reflecting the distribution of work by period. Thus, the authorities have a means of planning activities with an indication of the deadlines for the implementation of each of its stages.
Gantt charts were used in various projects to demonstrate the process of completing a task. As an example, take a small plan to repair an office building. This process is divided into several stages:
- Defining a circle of quality standards and responsibilities, time and costs.
- Informing customers and staff.
- Moving to another room.
- Office preparation.
- Carrying out repairs.
For each stage, time periods are indicated, which are displayed on the chart. Thus, it turns into an excellent graphic tool for monitoring and planning production work.
4. Social responsibility of business
After Taylor's death, the researcher completely departed from the key ideas of scientific management and focused on the role of the company as such. Also, Henry Gant, whose biography is known to many business leaders, studied the leadership function. Over time, the researcher became convinced that management imposes colossal obligations to society, and a profitable company should make a certain contribution to its welfare.
