“Eliminate the negative. Simplify and improve the positive.” That was the philosophy that swept through Shure in 1946 with the introduction of Job Methods Training, or JMT. JMT was designed to “break down each job to determine why it is being done a certain way and find better ways of doing things.” It encouraged everyone in the Company to take a fresh look at how things were being done and ask: “Is there a better way?”
The training was conducted by Major Ken Todd, who was a consultant with experience in job training with the military and industry. Major Todd believed that many jobs were learned on the basis of methods that were “handed down” and that these methods might not be appropriate for the challenges of a competitive postwar economy.
A few months after the program was launched, it was reported: “168 employees have taken the course, and we have received 72 Job Methods Improvements so far.” Among those improvements were new ways to keep labor standard records, holders for tools required by repair and assembly departments, and carts for transporting parts around the plant and in assembling orders.
JMT was also part of a three-course training program for supervisors. In addition to Job Methods Training, these employees took courses in Job Relations and Job Instructions.
