A. W. Shaw Publisher Home Page |
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Published July 3, 2021
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Updated October 18, 2021
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B. C. Forbes style of writing was to understand the industrialists of the 20th Century and write about them—evaluate them. A. W. Shaw's style of publishing was to give the industrialists a platform from which to share their thoughts about what made a great corporation. Sound strange? Only to 21st Century ears, as many of the 20th Century industrialists were working to grow their industries as a whole and, for lack of a better description, they believed that an incoming tide raises all boats.
Discovering Great American Industrialists through the Works of A. W. Shaw
Publications of A. W. Shaw
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System: The Magazine of Business |
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A. W. Shaw was an amazingly prolific publisher, well-known editor, and entrepreneur. Through System, The Magazine of Business, which he edited from 1900 through 1927, he published some of America's greatest iconic industrialists. One of the interviewing journalists for this publication was Samuel Crowther, who is also covered in this bibliography of Great American Industrialists.
The distinguishing characteristic of System was the openness with which the industrialists shared their insights with their peers.
Individuals that shared their business knowledge with fellow industrialists were the likes of: Henry Ford, Harvey S. Firestone, A. B. Farquhar, George F. Johnson and Thomas J. Watson Sr. [shown in the image in the sidebar]. Much of this material was then organized and published in book format for the general public. Bernard M. Baruch wrote the following of A. W. Shaw and his work on the War Industry Board during World War I:
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Tom Watson: "System: The Magazine of Business"
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"Men such as Charles MacDowell, Donald McLennan, Charles Otis, George Armsby, Albert Brunker, Arthur Whiteside, Charles Carroll, Everett L. Crawford, Samuel P. Bush, and others, too numerous to mention, put aside private interests—often at considerable sacrifice—to serve the government.
"Arch Shaw typified the best of these men. Shaw, who owned a Chicago publishing business, headed the Conservation Division of the WIB. A man who brooked no nonsense, he was relentless in fighting waste and tireless in finding ways to save scarce resources and facilities. By standardizing models and reducing the variety of goods that had no other purpose than to satisfy fashion whims, he effected tremendous savings of precious commodities."
Bernard M. Baruch, The Public Years
A Review of A. W. Shaw's Three Companion Volumes
- Reviews of the Day: 1920
- This Author's Thoughts on this A. W. Shaw Collection
- Selected Excerpts from:
- The Way to Greater Production
- The Management and the Worker
- Working Conditions, Wages and Profits
Reviews of the Day: 1920
There were no reviews found for this series of books.
This Author’s Thoughts on this A. W Shaw Collection
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This is a set of three books (shown here) which was published by the A. W. Shaw Company. The three volumes are The Way to Greater Production, The Management and the Worker, and Working Conditions, Wages and Profits. Profit sharing, stock options and other uplifting human relations practices came into being in the late 19th Century and are documented in this set of books.
Contributors to this volume were peers and predecessors of Thomas J. Watson Sr. and included one of his best friends, George F. Johnson of Endicott Johnson Company. George M. Verity of Armco was one of the men chosen for the Editorial Advisory Board for these books. Links are provided to his biography True Steel and one of his articles on “Success and Character“ on this website. Since "management" was a new concept in these early 20th Century businesses which were growing into today’s international corporations, it is fascinating to read how the "owners" and new "management teams" of the day struggled with maintaining peace in their organizations between capital, labor and management. These entrepreneurs were sophisticated, were attempting to understand their workers’ needs, and were very creative in the avenues they explored to maintain harmony within their organizations. The books' purpose was revealed in this statement: |
An A. W. Shaw publication
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“This book and its two companion volumes are designed to present a complete picture of the common problems that arise in handling human relations in any business, large or small. … the only satisfactory treatment, today, seems to be an analysis of methods actually being used and proving successful.”
The Management and the Worker, 1920
As this excerpt suggests, this series was produced as a set of management best practices: "methods actually being used and proving successful." Although, the “how” contained in the books is dated (such as providing housing, sanitation, and safety for workers), understanding “why” these industrialists were attempting such new practices is the true gem hidden away between the covers. Their relevance is in understanding the "why" of each best practice.
Consider what George F. Johnson wrote in The Management and the Worker:
"The times have changed, the ways of doing work have changed, but the essential attributes of human nature have not changed. … The natural leader is the head of the business. … If the employer is not a natural labor leader, then the working people will secure other leaders."
Yes, machines and methods constantly change and, appropriately, they should adapt quickly; but human nature evolves over decades, centuries and millennia, and it is best to remember that when thinking that the past is irrelevant. In this respect, these books are priceless. I hope you find the quotes from these books as fascinating as I do.
Our capitalist predecessors were wise men and women looking for the best way to make their economic system sustainable in its growth.
That included doing what was right for the business and its employees, shareholders, and supportive societies.
Consider what George F. Johnson wrote in The Management and the Worker:
"The times have changed, the ways of doing work have changed, but the essential attributes of human nature have not changed. … The natural leader is the head of the business. … If the employer is not a natural labor leader, then the working people will secure other leaders."
Yes, machines and methods constantly change and, appropriately, they should adapt quickly; but human nature evolves over decades, centuries and millennia, and it is best to remember that when thinking that the past is irrelevant. In this respect, these books are priceless. I hope you find the quotes from these books as fascinating as I do.
Our capitalist predecessors were wise men and women looking for the best way to make their economic system sustainable in its growth.
That included doing what was right for the business and its employees, shareholders, and supportive societies.
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Of the three volumes this was the most enjoyable and useful. The best sections in this book are “The Open-Door Plan" and “Example of Personal Management.” This book is designed primarily for those “who face the problems of employee management.”
“Common sense is a group trait, however lacking it may be in individuals. Industrial groups, by and large, though they may quarrel with methods in detail, want intelligent leadership in the offices of management; they want vigor used in the exercise of policies; and of course, above all, they insist on fairness in determining policies and in distributing the proceeds of industry.”
“Human nature does not include tolerance as a common trait. The man who differs from you, typically, is felt to be wrong. And yet tolerance is one trait necessary for the successful administration of human relations in business.” |
“Not every man is qualified to administer human relationships in a business. Not every employer is so qualified. Yet this is one of the last facts that the typical employer will admit. … If he is the man for the job, there are few, if any, other tasks that he can take under his own wing with such profit. If he is not, there are few places where he can do equal harm so quickly.”
“Many a man in charge of others snarls at his employees, simply because the man who held the job before him, and under whom he was trained, had cultivated the fine art of snarling. An equally pertinent observation is that the pleasant-mannered employee usually reflects the attitude of a similarly pleasant-mannered boss. Habits are catching. An executive’s daily attitude toward those in his employ becomes a habit. And the sum total of the relations of all the executives in all their relations with employees is the labor policy [should we say culture?] of that business in action.”
“Every group must have leadership. … The boss is the natural labor leader. If he is not a labor leader, then he has no right to be the boss.”
“Many a man in charge of others snarls at his employees, simply because the man who held the job before him, and under whom he was trained, had cultivated the fine art of snarling. An equally pertinent observation is that the pleasant-mannered employee usually reflects the attitude of a similarly pleasant-mannered boss. Habits are catching. An executive’s daily attitude toward those in his employ becomes a habit. And the sum total of the relations of all the executives in all their relations with employees is the labor policy [should we say culture?] of that business in action.”
“Every group must have leadership. … The boss is the natural labor leader. If he is not a labor leader, then he has no right to be the boss.”
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The three best chapters in this book are “Training Men Who Direct Others,” “Cultivating the Spirit of Craftsmanship,” and “A City’s Plan for Banishing Strikes.” Enjoy these excerpts:
"The man must also be trained for the specific tasks he is to perform, and methods must be found to induce in him the desire to produce to the best of his ability; otherwise, management has done only half its work.”
“It has been found that there is a great supply of women workers available and also that a properly trained woman can produce to equal advantage with the man.” “A fair and generous system of pay will reward the employee for reaching higher rates of production. This should be based upon the rule that a woman should get as high a rate of pay as a man for the same production.” |
“Without customer good will, a business life goes out in the twinkling of an eye. Without employee good will, on the other hand, adequate production and reasonable costs are impossible.”
“Men do not work only for wages. The payment of just wages discharges the primary obligation, but that alone does not build good will or insure the employer of the utmost return in the way of production. It has been the frequent experience of employers that high wages do not hold men in jobs where the man cannot feel a personal satisfaction and pride in his work or see that his efforts are appreciated.”
“Men do not work only for wages. The payment of just wages discharges the primary obligation, but that alone does not build good will or insure the employer of the utmost return in the way of production. It has been the frequent experience of employers that high wages do not hold men in jobs where the man cannot feel a personal satisfaction and pride in his work or see that his efforts are appreciated.”
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Another excellent book. The best chapters are the following: “When Does Welfare Work Pay,” “Plans for Housing Employees,” “The Economic Basis of Wages,” and “Advantages and Disadvantages of Profit Sharing.”
“In reaching final conclusions on the most desirable arrangement of hours-of-work schedules, there must be taken into account not merely production, but also the question as to what schedule of hours will, in the long run, (1) best maintain the productive period of the worker’s life, (2) help his self-development, (3) promote the welfare of the community, and generally (4) raise the standard of citizenship among industrial workers.”
“A healthy worker, a moral worker, a worker with adequate opportunity for sane social and recreational activity, is obviously, other things being equal, a better worker than he who has none of these opportunities. So, too, with the worker who is free from debt and perpetual financial worry.” |
“The salary of the President of the United States is but a part of his wage. There may be many other returns on his effort, such as a feeling of pride in the dignity of the position and the opportunity for distinguished service. … Just as truly, … the weekly pay envelop of a Pittsburgh mechanic may be but a part of his wage. The opportunity for practicing his trade pleasantly, the desirable character of his companions in the shop, and other considerations, may help materially to make up the remainder of the return on his effort. A manager does himself and his men an injustice if he allows himself to lose sight of the fact that other things than money are involved in any bargain between employer and employee.”