1853–1931

Harrington Emerson

Harrington Emerson was an American efficiency engineer, consultant, author, and early organizer of industrial engineering. Educated largely in Europe, he returned to the United States and moved through teaching, business, and engineering work before establishing a consulting practice. His system combined standardized tasks and working conditions, routing and scheduling, time and motion studies, records, and a graduated efficiency bonus. Work on railroads and testimony in the Eastern Freight Rate Case brought him national attention. In The Twelve Principles of Efficiency, Emerson presented efficiency as an organization-wide discipline rather than a single shop-floor technique. He belongs in this library because he broadened scientific management into a practical consulting system and helped carry efficiency ideas to firms, engineers, and a mass audience.