Advantages and Disadvantages of Division of Labor - Essay Example

The paper "Advantages and Disadvantages of Division of Labor" is a good example of an essay on business. Division of labor is the act of separating the production practice into various production phases. This maximizes production efficiency (Sharp, 2006). About the present-day economists, there exist different forms of division of labor, namely: division into the profession, the division into the procedure, and geographical division (Mukherjee, 2002).                                                                         
The advantages division of labor
To begin with, labor division leads to improved production. The reason being, by focusing on a particular activity one gains more skills. Similarly, it minimizes wastage of time when moving from a section to another. As a result, the division of labor causes quantity and quality increase in goods and services produced (Mukherjee, 2002).
Second, the division of labor facilitates simplified training. Workers will only be required to learn about a part of the whole task. Similarly, continuous training on a specific section makes a worker an expert. Thus, it reduces the number of faults (Singh, 2010).   
Third, the division of labor enables the utmost utilization of different skills of employees (Mukherjee, 2002). It facilitates assigning work to individuals with the right skills. The employee is capable of resolving a complex issue while others cannot. Hence, the division makes it possible to assign appropriate duties to the right individuals (Singh, 2010).
Fourth, the division of labor has brought about great levels of discipline and teamwork. The success of the product of an organization is attainable if the employees work together. Therefore, through the division of labor, employees respect each other. In addition, it gives rise to the greater corporation (Singh, 2010).
Finally, the division of labor has made it possible to introduce machines. Initially, if an employee wanted to perform other duties, he had to leave his workstation for another, leaving machines idle. However, the division of labor has enabled the maximum use of machines. This is because it has minimized the movement of workers giving them responsibility for specific sections. This has resulted in increased output (Mukherjee, 2002).

Disadvantages of the division of labor
Apart from being advantageous, the division of labor also possesses a number of disadvantages. First, there is a lack of accountability. Under the breakdown of labor, the final product is the work of numerous employees. Therefore, in the event of complications on the final product, nobody is held responsible (Singh, 2010).
Second, the division of labor results in increased interdependence among individuals, companies, and countries. If a faction is paralyzed it results in greater harm. Similarly, the production of substandard output is likely to mess up the quality level of the final product. Furthermore, since workers are only familiar with specific production sections. In the event of unemployment, getting a job will be very tricky (Singh, 2010).
Third, fear of loss of work. Division of labor emphasizes equipping a worker with skills meant for a certain section. After retrenchment, finding employment can be unachievable. As an illustration, when a coal miner is retrenched he might not get another job since he will not have the required skills (Mukherjee, 2002).
Finally, the division of labor brings about monotony. Employees who perform a particular role on a daily basis might find their duty as being monotonous. This may result in absenteeism. Consequently, this will lead to a reduced production level (Mukherjee, 2002).  
In conclusion, the division of labor has more advantages than disadvantages. Some of the advantages include increased productivity; simplified training; improved corporation; increased use of machinery; and maximum utilization of skills. On the contrary, the disadvantages include lack of accountability; increased interdependence among employees; and retrenchment.