Final answer:
The adherence to Alex's schedule led to a highly structured and mechanized work environment with increased productivity but also resulted in repetitive tasks and a decrease in worker satisfaction due to the dehumanization of the labor process.
Step-by-step explanation:
When the people on the shop floor worked according to Alex's schedule, the results were increased efficiency and productivity. Alex's schedule likely involved timing the movements of the workers with stopwatches to ensure they were performing their tasks efficiently. This focus on efficiency and speed may have resulted in workers feeling dehumanized and disconnected from their labor.
When workers on the shop floor adhered to Alex's schedule, presumably referring to the efficiency protocols suggested by Frederick Taylor and similar efficiency experts, the results translated into a highly regimented and mechanized work environment. This method of scientific management, often termed as "Taylorism" or "stop-watch management," emphasized maximum efficiency, with the division of labor into short, repetitive tasks. Although this approach increased productivity and allowed for the production of goods at lower costs, it also led to the dehumanization of workers and a reduction in job satisfaction, as they were reduced to mere cogs in the industrial machine, performing monotonous tasks without fully engaging in the work they did or seeing the end product.