The tune-up appointment for my air-conditioner turned out to be an expensive proposition as it revealed a leak in the coil and ultimately required a new unit. But it has also been fascinating to watch the well-orchestrated process within the company as they installed it. Economist Adam Smith wrote about the division of labor, theorizing that tailoring small subsets of work to individuals would increase overall productivity. I believe my HVAC company has adopted his premise.
- A technician came to my home to provide the initial, likely generic, tune-up appointment.
- When it proved more problematic, he phoned an estimator who was here within minutes to provide a cost breakdown for replacement.
- An office assistant called to schedule the appointment once I agreed to proceed. No need to waste the estimator’s (more expensive) time on (cheaper) clerical tasks.
- Another person called to confirm the appointment.
- A crew of three arrived on the installation day and instantly went about their separate jobs — one dismantling the outside unit and the others working in the basement.
- The crew called a separate fabricator to make pieces the exact size needed, and then a much younger (and presumably cheaper) laborer delivered them.
- The installers left all of the old equipment on the lawn, and the same person who delivered the new parts hauled it away, leaving the more skilled technicians to do the more advanced work without being diverted to the clean-up crew.
Such a process would not work for every company or project, but there could be elements of specialization that make sense for your organization. Assessments such as StrengthsFinder and Working Genius were created long after Smith’s time but add to your knowledge of how to pair tasks with people’s abilities instead of just their pay grade. As much as possible, structure your labor pool to capitalize on what people are best suited to do.
