individuals. A careful analysis had demonstrated the fact that when
workmen are herded together in gangs, each man in the gang becomes far
less efficient than when his personal ambition is stimulated; that when
men work in gangs, their individual efficiency falls almost invariably
down to or below the level of the worst man in the gang; and that they
are all pulled down instead of being elevated by being herded together.
For this reason a general order had been issued in the Bethlehem Steel
Works that not more than four men were to be allowed to work in a labor
gang without a special permit, signed by the General Superintendent of
the works, this special permit to extend for one week only. It was
arranged that as far as possible each laborer should be given a separate
individual task. As there were about 5000 men at work in the
establishment, the General Superintendent had so much to do that there
was but little time left for signing these special permits.

After gang work had been by this means broken up, an unusually fine set
of ore shovelers had been developed, through careful selection and
individual, scientific training. Each of these men was given a separate
car to unload each day, and his wages depended upon his own personal
work. The man who unloaded the largest amount of ore was paid the
highest wages, and an unusual opportunity came for demonstrating the
importance of individualizing each workman. Much of this ore came from
the Lake Superior region, and the same ore was delivered both in
Pittsburgh and in Bethlehem in exactly similar cars. There was a
shortage of ore handlers in Pittsburgh, and hearing of the fine gang of
laborers that had been developed at Bethlehem, one of the Pittsburgh
steel works sent an agent to hire the Bethlehem men. The Pittsburgh men
offered 4 9/10 cents a ton for unloading exactly the same ore, with the
same shovels, from the same cars, that were unloaded in Bethlehem for 3
2/10 cents a ton. After carefully considering this situation, it was