Alfred Adler: On Time-Management and Business Practices

(excerpts from the writings of Alfred Adler)

"There is a scientific and moral tendency at the present day that pushes 'time-management' into the foreground, demanding that we should all be economical with our time and labour. This sounds very good in theory, but wherever we see this idea applied in practice, we (p. 183) invariably find that some individual goal of superiority and power is being served. This theory is frequently misused, and 'time-management' is directed towards shifting the real burden of work onto the shoulders of others. This activity, like all activity, can be judged only by the standard of its usefulness to society. It is a feature of the age of technology that human beings are treated like machines and are expected to follow laws of life much as machines obey the laws of physics. In the latter case such laws are universally applicable; but in the case of human beings they lead eventually to isolation, loneliness and the destruction of human relationships. It is therefore better for everyone if we adjust our lives so that we would rather give than save. If we all try to live by this rule, and keep the common weal in mind, we cannot go far wrong.
"In this connection, let us look more closely at business life. Businessmen have little concern for the welfare of competitors, or much interest in the social feeling that we consider so essential. Some business practices and enterprises are actually based on the principle that the advantage of one businessman can result only from the disadvantage of another. As a rule there is no punishment for such behaviour even though there is a conscious malicious intention. Everyday business practices that express greed and lack social feeling poison society as a whole.
"Even those who have the best of intentions must, under the pressures of the business world, protect themselves as far as possible. It is often overlooked that this personal protection is usually accompanied by damage to someone else. We point these matters out because they explain the difficulty of exercising social feeling under the pressure of business competition. Some solution must be found, so that the co-operation of every individual towards the common weal will be made easier instead of more difficult. As a matter of fact the human spirit has been at work attempting to create a better situation for its own protection. Psychology must co-operate and set about investigating these changes in order to understand not only business relationships themselves, but also the mental processes involved. Only in this way can we know what can best be done for the individual and for society" (p. 184).

Adler, Alfred. (1927/1992). Understanding Human Nature. Translated by Colin Brett. Oxford, England: Oneworld Publications.

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