Chapter 49 Good Organisation, Methods and Efficiency.
Recently, I walked into 2 different Asian bakery shops. The first one had the usual variety of filled buns, which were unlabelled, and I had to ask what was this and that. The shopkeeper went through the array of butter buns, cream buns, beanpaste buns, jam buns, coconut buns, pork buns... As I paid for them, I said to the wideeyed girl: „Have you never thought of labelling them? The second shop had all the items labelled, but different buns were priced at 25c, 30c, 35c, 40c, 45c.... When I took a dozen of different items, she was without a calculator or cash register, and was in a fix! „Have you never thought of uniform prices? Makes life easier. I said. What a contrast to the efficiency, flow and success at McDonalds and KFC!
Successful living requires organisation and orderliness. A Chinese proverb warns us: „Begin with an error of an inch and end with a thousand miles off the mark. This is too true in modern-day space expeditions! In whatever we do, both at home and at work, good plans, priorities, arrangements, lay-outs, systems, and even long term considerations, all contribute to performance. The time and energy of workers and machines, wisely or wastefully used, determine the profits or losses of a business. Careful planning and efficient systems spell victory. To cite an example, whenever the Singapore Changi International airport makes a building extension, it fits beautifully into the overall scheme of things, and will do so for decades to come. Everything was well thought out, with foresight. The Airport is rated as one of the best in the world. On the other hand, the massive traffic jams in Asian cities, and the absence of congestion in many American, Canadian and Australian ones, they all speak for themselves.
In any factory, workshop or office, the lay-out and arrangement of departments, rooms, space, machinery, furniture, tools, supplies and production processes must be ingeniously and exhaustively studied and implemented. The same goes for various work-flow, connections, communications, incoming and outgoing movements. This maximises productivity and well-being, while boredom, stress, wastage, accidents, etc, are minimised. In addition, changing technologies, contingencies and future developments must be considered and provided for.
At work, I cannot stand people wandering around for a pair of scissors. I reminded my staff of several things:
1. Whatever you use the most should be nearest to you, this reduces time and efforts. 2. Always find a better or easier way to do something.
3. Return everything exactly to its pre-assigned position for easy retrieval; this includes
a good filing system.
4. Equip yourselves with all the necessary tools and stationery.
5. Harmonise and integrate a total system, stand back and look at the whole picture,
and the future.
6. Keep tidy. Often, the most important piece of office equipment is the wastepaper
basket!
Efficiency means producing with minimum costs and efforts. The ideal office or factory must be a pleasant, work-assisting environment. It should not impede work or intrude, it should 'free' the worker to concentrate and excel in his job. Temperature, lighting, colour schemes, noise control and flow of activities must be carefully and cleverly engineered, with „forms following functions. Good systems must extend to equipment, stationery, operating procedures, formats, communications, streamlining distributions of workloads. especially those of factory workers, must be analysed for energy and time-saving. Good organisation and methods bring: Simplification, ease, efficiency, cost reduction, better communication, proper controls, decrease in errors and defects, decline in personal overtone and politics, greater safety and security, fairer allocation of duties, objective evaluation of performance, use of modern technology and equipment, better company image and prestige, and most important of all, improved climate, well-being and overall performance.
System is part of the universe; the rising sun, the budding trees, the falling leaves... Let us not stray from this law of nature. The successful person is disciplined and systematic, he organises tasks, budgets time and expenses, and he works with total efficiency. He does this with full utility of his God-given abilities and potentials. Get organised now and be excellent and productive. Believe me, no one drifts or gropes his way to success. of processes, and the intelligent and fair As far as possible, all tasks performed,