The Division of Work
It is appropriate at the outset of this discussion to consider the reasons for and the effect of the division of work.It is sufficient for our purpose to note the following factors.
Why Divide Work?Because men differ in nature，capacity and skill，and gain greatly in dexterity by specialization;because the same man cannot be at two places at the same time;because the range of knowledge and skill is so great that a man cannot within his lifespan know more than a small fraction of it.In other words，it is a question of human nature，time，and space.
In a shoe factory it would be possible to have 1，000 men each assigned to making complete pairs of shoes.Each man would cut his leather，stamp in the eyelets，sew up the tops，sew on the bottoms，nail on the heels，put in the laces，and pack each pair in a box.It might take two days to do the job.One thousand men would make 500 pairs of shoes a day.It would also be possible to divide the work among these same men，using the identical hand methods，in an entirely different way.One group of men would be assigned to cut the leather，another to putting in the eyelets，another to stitching up the tops，another to sewing on the soles，another to nailing on the heels，another to inserting the laces and packing the pairs of shoes.We know from common sense and experience that there are two great gains in this latter process:First，it makes possible the better utilization of the varying skills and aptitudes of the different workmen，and encourages the development of specialization;and second，it eliminates the time that is lost when a workman turns from a knife，to a punch，to a needle and awl，to a hammer，and moves from table to bench，to anvil，to stool.Without any pressure on the workers，they could probably turn out twice as many shoes in a single day.There would be additional economies，because inserting laces and packing could be assigned to unskilled and low-paid workers.Moreover，in the cutting of the leather there would be less spoilage because the less skillful pattern cutters would all be eliminated and assigned to other work.It would also be possible to cut a dozen shoe tops at the same time from the same pattern with little additional effort.All of these advances would follow，without the introduction of new labor saving machinery.
The introduction of machinery accentuates the division of work.Even such a simple thing as a saw，a typewriter，or a transit requires increased specialization，and serves to divide workers into those who can and those who cannot use the particular instrument effectively.Division of work on the basis of the tools and machines used in work rests no doubt in part on aptitude，but primarily upon the development and maintenance of skill through continued manipulation.
Specialized skills are developed not alone in connection with machines and tools.They evolve naturally from the materials handled，like wood，or cattle，or paint，or cement.They arise similarly in activities which center in a complicated series of interrelated concepts，principles，and techniques.These are most clearly recognized in the professions，particularly those based on the application of scientific knowledge，as in engineering，medicine，and chemistry.They are none the less equally present in law，ministry，teaching，accountancy，navigation，aviation，and other fields.(https://www.daowen.com)
The Whole and the Parts．It is axiomatic that the whole is equal to the sum of its parts.But in dividing up any“whole”，one must be certain that every part，including unseen elements and relationships，is accounted for.The marble sand to which the Venus de Milo may be reduced by a vandal does not equal the statute，though every last grain be preserved;nor is a thrush just so much feathers，bones，flesh and blood;nor a typewriter merely so much steel，glass，paint and rubber.Similarly a piece of work to be done cannot be subdivided into the obvious component parts without great danger that the central design，the operating relationship，the imprisoned idea，will be lost.
A simple illustration will make this clear.One man can build a house.He can lay the foundation，cut the beams and boards，make the window frames and doors，lay the floors，raise the roof，plaster the walls，fit in the heating and water systems，install the electric wiring，hang the paper，and paint the structure.But if he did，most of the work would be done by hands unskilled in the work;much material would be spoiled，and the work would require many months of his time.On the other hand，the whole job of building the house might be divided among a group of men.One man could do the foundation，build the chimney，and plaster the walls;another could erect the frame，cut the timbers and the boards，raise the roof，and do all the carpentry;another all the plumbing;another all the paper hanging and painting;another all the electric wiring.But this would not make a house unless someone—an architect—made a plan for the house，so that each skilled worker could know what to do and when to do it.
When one man builds a house alone he plans as he works;he decides what to do first and what next，that is，he“coordinates the work”.When many men work together to build a house，this part of the work，the coordinating，must not be lost sight of.
In the“division of the work”among the various skilled specialists，a specialist in planning and coordination must be sought as well.Otherwise，a great deal of time may be lost，workers may get in each other's way，materials may not be on hand when needed，things may be done in the wrong order，and there may even be a difference of opinions as to where the various doors and windows are to go.It is self-evident that the more the work is subdivided，the greater is the danger of confusion，and the greater is the need of overall supervision and coordination.Coordination is not something that develops by accident.It must be won by intelligent，vigorous，persistent and organized effort.