Way Of Life In N.Z. Praised

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30827, 12 August 1965, Page 14

Way Of Life In N.Z. Praised

“Elsewhere most people live to work; New Zealanders work to live. I hope you can keep it that way. In this respect New Zealand may be leading the world,” said Professor I. N. McCollom, professor of psychology at San Diego State College, California, after six months at the University of Canterbury.

Professor McCollom said such a way of life could become vital as industrialisation whittled down individual satisfaction and automation “dehumanised” work. “We’re coming to a time when people will not chose a life work but a life hobby,” he said.

A specialist in industrial nsychnlogy. Professor McCollom said the task of consultants in this field was to see that work remained - human Because of its size. New Zealand had not yet seriously encountered these problems, but they would come. Falling Morale Industrial psychologists helped in staff selection, training, and organisation for greater efficiency but increasingly they were facing problems of falling morale arising from lack of real interest. “As we advance in automation—and mark you it is not new, it began with the wheel I —men and women begin to feel they are less important They see less of intrinsic value to themselves,” said Professor McCollom. “1 had an uncle who built horse waggons. He saw the job right through You can’t do that today “Sometimes you can help interest by the structure of work crews, grouping those who like working together. This alone can increase production. “Personal satisfaction is essentially important for two reasons-: (1) one worker has as much right to satisfaction as anyone else; (2) fortunately for the employer it is always profitable.” said Professor McCollom University Centres Undoubtedly these problems existed in New Zealand, but no one organisation was large enough to warrant a resident industrial psychologist. The solution might be to have consulting institutes attached to the universities. This would preserve integrity and standards of advice and enable whole industries or individual firms to bring their problems. Such groups could help with finance. “It pays off I can promise you.” he said Professor McCollom said big problems facing New Zealand and all Western coun

tries were directly related to the birth-rate. “With a larger work force we are going to have to shorten working hours and this is where New Zealanders, with wide outside interests and the space and climate to enjoy them, will have advantages over most of the rest of the world," said Professor McCollom. “Everyone should watch birth-rate curves and see how 1 iilges and troughs will il affec' them.”