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A Buddhist Perspective on Industrial Engineering and the Design of Work

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Abstract

The modern way of life is highly dependent upon the production of goods by industrial organizations that are in turn dependent upon their workers for their ongoing operations. Even though more than a century has passed since the dawn of the industrial revolution, many dangerous aspects of work, both physical and mental, remain in the workplace today. Using Buddhist philosophical principles, this paper suggests that although many sources of the problem reside within the larger society, the industrial engineer is still a key factor in bettering work and providing a workplace suitable for their fellow workers. Drawing on these insights, we present a number of work design guidelines that industrial engineers who abide by Buddhist principles could practice to help overcome some of the many sufferings produced by modern work.

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Notes

  1. Although the term “suffering” is commonly used, many scholars of Buddhism have pointed out that a more accurate description of the teaching would be “imperfection”.

  2. All-pervasive suffering is a subtle and generalized sense of suffering that generates a sense of worry, fear, insecurity, and so forth, throughout all situations. It exists even during times of seeming happiness. Modern research such as the terror-management theory in psychology provide similar insight, showing that dread of impending death is often in our minds and affects decision-making at a subtle level without our realization.

  3. Maslow (1954, p. 69) noticed similar patterns, as he wrote: “Man is a wanting animal and rarely reaches a state of complete satisfaction except for a short time. As one desire is satisfied, another pops up to take its place… it is a characteristic of the human being throughout his whole life that he is practically always desiring something… the human being is never satisfied except in a relative or one-step-along-the-path fashion”.

  4. Sutras and Suttas are Buddhist discourses, usually in the form of literature and often attributed to the Buddha. Many such Theravada discourses were recorded in Pali, and are called “Suttas”. Such discourses in later traditions, such as the Mahayana, are called “Sutras” transliterated from the Sanskrit word.

  5. Refers to the “law of the universe” as taught by the Buddha, similar to the Tao in Taoism.

  6. In fact, during his efforts in pursuing Buddhism, emperor Wu practically bankrupted his kingdom by making extravagant donations to Buddhist orders, building temples, and granting tax exemption for religious persons and organizations. He even became a monk himself, and his advisors had to make large donations to the temple where he lived to have him “released”.

  7. In his book The Fifth Discipline (1990), he also pointed to “seeing our connectedness to the world”, “compassion”, and “commitment to the whole” as a part of personal mastery.

  8. The twelve dimensions are autonomy, variety, demand, safety, compensation, feedback on work performance, aesthetics, social interaction, technical growth, personal growth, accomplishment and status, and the value of work to society.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering 204 Rogers Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Wei-Tau Lee & Kenneth H. Funk II

  2. School of History, Philosophy, and Religion 322 Milam Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    James A. Blumenthal

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  1. Wei-Tau Lee
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  2. James A. Blumenthal
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Correspondence to Wei-Tau Lee.

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Lee, WT., Blumenthal, J.A. & Funk, K.H. A Buddhist Perspective on Industrial Engineering and the Design of Work. Sci Eng Ethics 20, 551–569 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-013-9469-9

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