Division of labor involves the segmentation of the work process into various stages, where each person or employee focuses on a specific task in the production process. Adam Smith initially coined this process in 1776 (Pettinger, 2017). He famously used the pin factory as an example. He realized a vast increase in production efficiency since employees were split up and assigned specific tasks to produce a pin. He saw the segmentation of functions as a catalyst of economic progress as goods would be produced cheaply more efficiently. Division of labor is a famous concept in mass production systems and is a primary organizing assembly line principle. This paper will dwell on the essentiality of the division of labor and the various ways it results in efficient production.
How important is the division of labor to a capitalist economy?
Over the last 200 years, the capitalist, or industrialist, economic structure has revolutionized the physical world in unique ways. Poverty, the typical form of almost all of humanity, is gradually being alleviated from people’s shoulders in the Western world and across the globe (Support, n.d.). Yet, uncontrolled economy progressivism’s reflexes continue, including that employment in the entrepreneurial economy is not viewed with dignity, decency, or consideration. Nothing could be farther from the truth. During the ancient days, those not killed in the war were held in subjugation and forced to work, making work lack poise and admiration. This began to alter with the slow growth of a liberal private enterprise. Emerging business sector ties broadened the horizons for the employee, the expert, or the traveling seller to find customers outside the aristocrat’s sphere. Losing the approval and good graces of the crown estate ruler does not yet imply starvation, difficulties, real punishment, or a failure to produce money.
The repercussions are that everyone should walk toward their kindred individuals and express an interest in their assistance in some way that benefits others. An individual can try to persuade or provide something as a sufficiently appealing trade-off that other people will genuinely want to accomplish what is demanded of them. In any case, viciousness is removed from the human situation to the greatest extent practicable for a free society to function well (Support, n.d.). Division of labor generates a growing awareness of the poise of all actual and persevering labor, regardless of the task being accomplished. Because every line in the market structure of specialization targets a work, task, or deed that is needed and deemed worthwhile to complete; otherwise, it would not have been done and paid for (Boyce, 2021). Private entities and individuals owning capital goods associated with labor division are the economic stimuli that a capitalist economy needs for economic progress.
How does the division of labor lead to more efficient production?
Division of labor is a crucial element for efficient manufacture for various reasons. Workers require less training since mastery of skills takes less time as the number of tasks being mastered is small. Division of labor enables workers to only master a part of production that they are interested in, which quickens the learning process and saves time (Pettinger, 2017). When new employees join a firm, training them on a specific task is much quicker. For example, an employee at a bank will be more efficient when he focuses on credit provision rather than a package of functions. Using one tool to perform a particular task leads to efficiency in production. This enables employees to have immense mastery at using this tool; the speed of completing their specific job is high. The production process will be smooth given that each employee is working with undeniable experience and speed.
Efficient allocation of workers refers to their roles in the production process. A single-stage process could have been disintegrated into a five-stage process with individual parts. This allows employees to specialize, implying that the production process will be efficient as each will focus on the role that best fits them. Rather than being a jack of trades, each employee will become a master on one. Time-saving is another factor that must be present for a production process to be deemed efficient. With the division of labor and specialization, workers do not have to use different tools, neither do they have to move around the factory with a half-baked product. The product comes to them, and the completion time is quite remarkable as they have repeated the same process repeatedly, hence spending less time producing it, thus production efficiency (Pettinger, 2017).
What are some examples of division of labor and specialization from your personal experiences?
Aircraft mechanics are responsible for maintaining, diagnosing, and repairing aircraft and are critical to flight safety. Because of the industry’s extensive range of aircraft and sophisticated systems, there are several various types of airplane mechanics, each with its own set of skills. This field’s mechanics specialize in a specific system or aircraft. Airframe and powerplant mechanics are general practitioners, but they are also in charge of regular servicing on all aircraft parts. A&P mechanics must assess the aircraft’s wear – and tear using x-rays or ultrasonic devices since they are in charge of routine maintenance. They must be familiar with the type of aircraft and have a strong eye for detail; detecting corrosion and cracks are just a few things that they watch out for. The above summarizes various mechanics’ duties, leading to efficiency and careful calibration of aviation safety.
References
Boyce. (2021, February 8). Division of Labor (Advantages, Disadvantages, and Examples) – BoyceWire. Boycewire.com. https://boycewire.com/division-of-labor-definition/
Pettinger, T. (2017, January 3). Division of Labour – Economics Help. Economics Help. https://www.economicshelp.org/blog/glossary/division-of-labour/
Support, A. A. (n.d.). The Important of Division of Labor To A Capitalist Economy – All Assignment Support. Https://Allassignmentsupport.com/Blog/. https://allassignmentsupport.com/blog/the-important-of-division-of-labor-to-a-capitalist-economy/
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