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LD39 Archer, Fred Coleman, 1915”
.E3 The ori£in and extent of 'standards
1951 in clerical work.
. a8 v,329p.
thesis (Ph.D.) - D.Y.U., School of
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THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED.
Sponsoring Committee: Professor Herbert A. Tonne, Chairman,
Professor Cayley and Professor Wiles
THE ORIGIN AND EXTENT OF STANDARDS
IN CLERICAL WORK
FRED C. ARCHER
Submitted in p a rtial fulfillm ent of the
requirements for the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy in the School of Education of
New York U niversity
1950
3cL
, 'in. a is accepted
* 19$
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER TOPIC PAGE
I STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 1
General Statement 1
Need and Importance of the Study 1
H istorical Background 1
Prelim inary Examination of Present-day Standards 2
Incidence of the Problem 3
The Working Hypothesis 3
Investigation as a Basis for Improvement 4-
Scientific Problems li-
D efinitions 6
C lerical Occupations 6
Job T itles 6
Standard 6
D elim itations 7
Starting Point 7
Region 8
Size 8
Type of Business 8
II METHOD 9
The H istorical Method 9
Collection of Data 9
H istorical Sources 9
Periodicals 10
Documents 1^
Books and Other Publications 15
Inter-Library Loan 16
Personal Interviews 16
Correspondence 17
Purchase 17
Contemporary Sources 17
Personal V isits 19
C riticism of Data 21
The Presentation 21
Topical Organization 22
Periodization 23
III ORIGIN AND EXTENT OF STANDARDS IN TYPEWRITING OCCUPATIONS 211-
Introduction 2k
The Early Accent on Speed 25
The Method Used to Express Relative Performance 28
Contributions toward the Development of Standards 28
The Effectiveness of the Early Standard 30
11 CSC 18 3
CHAPTER TOPIC PAGE
III Reaction to the Ineffectiveness of the Standard 33
Tangible Results of the C riticism 36
The Development of Public Commercial Education 38
The Transition Period 39
Reaction of the Private Business Schools kO
The Apathy toward Standards k2
Background Factors Related to Standards k5
Renewed E fforts to Improve Standards k9
The Typewriter Company Employment Bureau 50
The O fficial Typewriting Contests 52
Lack of School-Business Cooperation 56
Effect of S cientific Office Management on Standards 58
The School's Response to S cientific Office Management 62
Reason for Educators 1 Response 66
The Impact of the F irst World War on Standards 68
The Status of Scientific Office Management 69
New Techniques 69
The Awakening Interest of Education after World. War I 7^
School-Business Cooperation 78
Testing 80
The Depression and the Business Man's Interest in Standards 8k
The Depression and the Educator's Interest in Standards 86
The Depression and Cooperative Interest in Standards 92
The Depression and the Testing Program 95
Business and Standards in the Second War Era 98
Educators and Standards in the Second War Era 106
Cooperative E fforts in the Second War Era 113
The Testing Program in the Second War Era ll 6
Summary 118
IV ORIGIN AND EXTENT OF STANDARDS IN STENOGRAPHIC OCCUPATIONS 120
Introduction 120
The Early Measurement of Competency in Shorthand 121
The New Interest in Shorthand 122
Early E fforts to Define Business Competency in Shorthand 123
The Indefensibility of the Standard 126
The Business Man's Reaction to the Standard 128
Corrective Measures Inspired by the Inadequacy of the Standard 130
A Pioneer Survey 13k
A lternative Recording Systems Considered 13k
Feeble Rays of Hope 136
The Beginning of the Era of Public Commercial Education 138
The Threat of Competition 138
Background Factors Relating to Shorthand Standards lkO
The Typewriter Company Employment Bureau Tests lk5
The E fforts of the Court Reporters to Define Competency lk8
The Court Reporters' Examination 151
Improvement of the D ictating Machine 152
The Introduction of S cientific Management into the Office 153
New Recording Devices 158
The School Reaction to the Business In terest in Office
Efficiency 160
iii
CHAPTER TOPIC PAGE
IV Standards in the War and Post-W ar Offices 166
Educators Recognize D eficiencies in School Standards 169
The Business Man's Response to the Depression 176
The Educator's Response to the Depression 178
Cooperative E fforts to Develop Shorthand Standards 182
Stenographic Standards in World War II and the Post-War Era 185
Educators' E fforts to Improve Standards During War and
Post-War Era 190
Summary 194
V ORIGIN AND EXTENT OF STANDARDS IN OTHER OFFICE CLERICAL
OCCUPATIONS 196
Introduction 196
The Duties of Early Office Workers 196
Q ualifications for Employment in C lerical Work 198
The Measurement of Performance in Other C lerical Work 198
The "Great C lerical Era" 199
Standards Developed for the New C lerical Occupations 201
Reasons for the Lack of Standards 205
System atization and the Development of Standards 208
The Contribution of Educators to the Development of Standards 210
Constructive Measures for the Improvement of Training 211
Business Explores A lternative Approaches 213
The Lagging Interest of the Schools 217
The C lerical Testing Program and Standards 220
Slow Recognition of Need for C lerical Preparation by Schools 224
Cooperative E fforts to Develop Standards 228
Recent School E fforts to Determine Standards 232
The Current Status of Business E fforts 235
Summary 237
VI ORIGIN AND EXTENT OF OTHER QUALIFICATIONS IN CLERICAL
OCCUPATIONS 239
Introduction 239
Other Q ualifications in Beginning of C lerical Period 239
Early Evaluation of Educational Q ualifications 242
Early Evaluation of Physical Capacity 243
The Early Evaluation of Personal T raits 2bb
The Development of Improved Procedures for Evaluation 245
The Use of the Intelligence Test 246
Subject M atter Achievement Tests 247
Testing Achievement in A rithm etic 247
Testing Achievement in Spelling 252
Testing Language Usage 258
Determination of Physical Capacity 263
Evaluation of Personality 263
Summary 270
VII CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT 273
Summary of the Study 273
Conclusions Pertaining to Origins 273
Conclusions Pertaining to the Developments 275
iv
CHAPTER TOPIC PAGE
VII Conclusions Pertaining to the Adequacy of Existing Standards 276
Conclusions Pertaining to Apparent Trends 278
Recommendations for Improvement—Long Range 2J8
Recommendations for Improvement--!or Immediate Use 281-
Recommendations for the Business Man 285
Recommendations for the Teacher 289
Recommendations for the Teacher-Training Institutions 291-
BIBLIOGRAPHY 2 98-321-
APPENDIX 325-329
v
CHAPTER I
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
General Statement
The investigation of the origin and extent of standards in clerical
occupations is designed to accomplish several significant purposes. The
hitherto indistinct origins of standards of performance in clerical work
u tilized by school and business are to be identified. The development of
the early standards is to be traced down to the present day and in that
process the major influences and trends are to be determined. The ade
quacy and efficiency of existing standards are to be appraised in terms
of present needs and principles. Finally, possible opportunities for the
improvement of existing standards are to be indicated.
Need and Importance of the Study
H istorical Background
"The clerical group was num erically of minor importance in the United
States prior to and immediately following the C ivil War, but with the great
sh ift from an agricultural to an industrial economy in which the factory
system and urban business became prominent, the number of workers increased
1
rapidly after 1870."
The tremendous expansion in the size of the clerical working force
to meet the needs of accelerated business enterprise was a development
1. Dewey Anderson and Percy E. Davidson, Occupational Trends in the United
S tates, p. 58^.
- 2 -
that involved the interests of many persons, in stitu tio n s, and agencies.
As these participants sought to pursue their several objectives incidental
to this phenomenal growth, from time to time the need arose to employ some
basis for the comparison, evaluation, stim ulation, direction, and control
of their efforts for the greatest potential gains.
Through repeated application and reference the bases which these par
ticipants utilized in the early days of the emerging clerical era became
benchmarks or measures to facilitate the constant evaluations which progress
demanded. These recognized measures thus became the earliest so-called
standards in clerical occupations.
The nature of the early standards is exceedingly important to present-
day business men and business educators because these measures inevitably
became the foundations or patterns for late r efforts to identify and to main
tain efficiency in the face of the revolutionary changes in office operations
accompanied by the almost astronomical growth in the size of the clerical
working force.
Prelim inary Examination of Present-day Standards
A prelim inary examination of pertinent business and professional lite r
ature and discussions with business men and educators makes it apparent that
present standards are not providing an adequate basis for the evaluation of
competency to perform clerical operations. There are many differences between
standards formulated by the schools as training objectives on the one hand,
and the standards of performance demanded by the employers on the other, even
in connection with basic techniques. Adding to the confusion are differences
between standards stated by both business and schools, and standards actually
observed in practice. Some educators and business men apparently do not have
any definite standards of performance to fa c ilita te th eir efforts.
