Henry Lawrence Gantt (USA, 1861 - 1819)

H.L Gantt was born in 1861. He graduated from John Hopkins College. For some time, he worked as a draftsman in an iron foundry.

In 1884, he qualified as a mechanical engineer at Stevens Institute.

In 1887, he joined the Midvale Steel Company. Soon, he became an assistant to F.W Taylor. He worked with Taylor from 1887 - 1919 at Midvale Steel Company. He did much consulting work on scientific selection of workers and the development of incentive bonus systems. He emphasized the need for developing a mutuality of interest between management and labour.

Gantt made four important contributions to the concepts of management:

1. Gantt chart to compare actual to planned performance. Gantt chart was a daily chart which graphically presented the process of work by showing machine operations, man hour performance, deliveries, effected and the work in arrears.

This chart was intended to facilitate day-to-day production planning.

2. Task-and-bonus plan for remunerating workers indicating a more humanitarian approach. This plan was aimed at providing extra wages for extra work besides guarantee of minimum wages. Under this system of wage payment, if a worker completes the work laid out for him, he is paid a definite bonus in addition to his daily minimum wages. On the other hand, if a worker does not complete his work, he is paid only his daily minimum wages. There was a provision for giving bonus to supervisors, if workers under him were able to earn such bonus by extra work.

3. Psychology of employee relations indicating management responsibility to teach and train workers. In his paper "Training Workmen in Habits of Industry and Cooperation", Gantt pleaded for a policy of preaching and teaching workmen to do their work in the process evolved through pre-thinking of management.

4. Gantt laid great emphasis on leadership. He considered management as leadership function. He laid stress on the importance of acceptable leadership as the primary element in the success of any business.