Division of labor occurs when the work process is separated into a various number of tasks. Each worker or group of workers then specializes in completing a single task. It is used in mass production and is considered “one of the basic organizing principles of the assembly line. (Britannica, 2014). Specialization via division of labor has helped to eliminate the need for workers to handle multiple tools and minimized unnecessary motion. Through the repetition of simple basic tasks by unskilled workers, production time and costs have been reduced. Lower production expenses lead to completed products being less expensive to purchase.
Labor division is a characteristic of capitalist society. The division of labor was viewed by Adam Smith the Scottish economist, “as a key to economic progress by providing a cheaper and more efficient means of producing goods.” (Britannica, 2014). All goods and services that are produced have a value partially based on the labor required to create them. By breaking the process down into simple, repeatable steps, manufacturing does not require highly skilled specialists. Without the division of labor, production levels would be lower and costs would be significantly higher. Increased economic efficiency is naturally created as part of Capitalism by the push for increased productivity.
In Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith described the division of labor by providing the example of the process of manufacturing pins. One man draws out the wire, another straightens it, a third cuts it, a fourth points it, a fifth grinds it at the top for receiving, the head; to make the head requires two or three distinct operations; to put it on is a peculiar business, to whiten the pins is another; it is even a trade by itself to put them into the paper; and the important business of making a pin is, in this manner, divided into about eighteen distinct operations, which, in some factories, are all performed by distinct hands, though in others the same man will sometimes perform two or three of them. (Smith, I.1.3) Traditionally, each worker would be required to perform all 18 steps. Individually, making a maximum of 20 pins each day. By dividing the labor among more workers with each doing a specific portion of the process, production levels are dramatically improved. Smith found that in some instances 10 workers were able to produce 48,000 pins on a daily basis. The advances to assembly line manufacturing pioneered by Henry Ford in the creation of the Model T, the first mass produced automobile, were a direct result of labor division. Through the division of labor, each person only needs to complete only a specific task. They do not need to know or understand the entire process, only their part. Due to task specific specialization, each worker can focus on their specific segment of the process. Efficiency is improved “through the continuing division of labor, specialization and economies of scale.” (Price, 2004). Division of labor allows for each individual to focus …show more content…
As early as middle school, labor division was in evidence. Teachers were not required or expected to be experts in all subject areas. Each subject was taught by a teacher with specialized training and knowledge of the pertinent subject matter. English teacher could expertly explain all the rules of grammar and sentence structure. But the same teacher is likely unfamiliar with the finer points of advanced mathematical
Labor division is a characteristic of capitalist society. The division of labor was viewed by Adam Smith the Scottish economist, “as a key to economic progress by providing a cheaper and more efficient means of producing goods.” (Britannica, 2014). All goods and services that are produced have a value partially based on the labor required to create them. By breaking the process down into simple, repeatable steps, manufacturing does not require highly skilled specialists. Without the division of labor, production levels would be lower and costs would be significantly higher. Increased economic efficiency is naturally created as part of Capitalism by the push for increased productivity.
In Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith described the division of labor by providing the example of the process of manufacturing pins. One man draws out the wire, another straightens it, a third cuts it, a fourth points it, a fifth grinds it at the top for receiving, the head; to make the head requires two or three distinct operations; to put it on is a peculiar business, to whiten the pins is another; it is even a trade by itself to put them into the paper; and the important business of making a pin is, in this manner, divided into about eighteen distinct operations, which, in some factories, are all performed by distinct hands, though in others the same man will sometimes perform two or three of them. (Smith, I.1.3) Traditionally, each worker would be required to perform all 18 steps. Individually, making a maximum of 20 pins each day. By dividing the labor among more workers with each doing a specific portion of the process, production levels are dramatically improved. Smith found that in some instances 10 workers were able to produce 48,000 pins on a daily basis. The advances to assembly line manufacturing pioneered by Henry Ford in the creation of the Model T, the first mass produced automobile, were a direct result of labor division. Through the division of labor, each person only needs to complete only a specific task. They do not need to know or understand the entire process, only their part. Due to task specific specialization, each worker can focus on their specific segment of the process. Efficiency is improved “through the continuing division of labor, specialization and economies of scale.” (Price, 2004). Division of labor allows for each individual to focus …show more content…
As early as middle school, labor division was in evidence. Teachers were not required or expected to be experts in all subject areas. Each subject was taught by a teacher with specialized training and knowledge of the pertinent subject matter. English teacher could expertly explain all the rules of grammar and sentence structure. But the same teacher is likely unfamiliar with the finer points of advanced mathematical