Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
5-31-1984
Degree Name
Master of Science in Industrial Engineering - (M.S.)
Department
Industrial and Management Engineering
First Advisor
Howard Gage
Abstract
The objective of this thesis and it's associated research is to analyze the positive effects of feedback in a production environment. The experimental data was collected at the Ortho Pharmaceutical Corporation in New Jersey and a subsidiary company, The J. T. Clark Company, in Illinois.
The experiments involved three types of feedback indirect feedback provided to a large group of packaging operators, direct feedback provided to a small group of temporary packaging operators in a training situation, and direct feedback provided to an entire workforce of operators performing dissimilar, but interrelated tasks.
The results of these experiments were consistent with results reported in available professional journals. The group feedback had no discernable effect on operator performance. Providing direct feedback in a training situation significantly increased production rates over a period of time, as compared to a control group receiving no feedback. The direct feedback concerning quality halved the number of rejects producted by the workforce.
Direct feedback proved to be an effective means for improving worker productivity. However, the feedback must be easily understood, and provided in a consistent and timely manner to have a positive effect.
Recommended Citation
Knoll, Diane L., "The Effects of feedback on operator performance in a production environment" (1984). Theses. 3575.
https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/theses/3575
