Case Study: Banana Time
I. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
This case deals with the members of the “clicking” work group. The problem appears to be the lack supervision and management oversight as this group is completely isolated from other areas of the factory. This issue has led to different concerns including horseplay, extended breaks and operator disruptions which all lead to a loss in production.
II. OBJECTIVES
1. To address the operator’s safety
2. To modify the workspace
3. To improve management supervision
III. AREAS OF CONSIDERATION
The Organization and Management
There were no interference from staff experts, no hounding by time study engineers or good human relation. Also, face-to-face contact with members of the managerial hierarchy were few and far between that reflects as unidentified role of management. The lack of management effectivity has promulgated the behavior into everyday occurrences.
The Work Group
George - A stocky fellow in his late 50’s who operates the machine at the opposite end of the line. He is the Superior member of the group which came from a country in Southeastern Europe.
Ike - A tall and slender man in his early 50’s and jewish. Stationed at George’s left and had come from Eastern Europe at an early age.
Sammy - A man in his late 50’s and jewish. Stationed beside the narrator of the story. He escaped from Eastern Europe before Hitler’s legion had moved in. The Work
It was stated as spending long days of simple, repetitive work in relative isolation from other employees of the factory.
Long hours of stamping stuff and very monotonous. “This was standing all day in one spot beside three old codgers in a dingy room looking out through barred windows at the bare walls of a brick warehouse, leg movements largely restricted to the shifting of body weight from one foot to the other, hand and arm movements confined, for the most part, to a simple repetitive