William B. Abernathy > Quotes

“There is much talk about the American Dream. I recall when the American Dream meant the opportunity to pursue your own goals, your own way. The politicians have perverted the dream to mean new homes and cars and a riskfree world. What happened to the real American Dream?”
― William B. Abernathy, The Sin of Wages

“The conventional pay system is antithetical to productivity improvement. Since it pays for time, and productivity is the reduction of time, conventional pay cannot support a productivity improvement effort. It is the worst kind of hypocrisy to ask employees to develop productivity improvement plans when the ultimate outcome will be to reduce that same employee’s pay through staff reductions or cutbacks in hours and overtime. Bluntly, we are asking employees to “Please find a way to cut your pay!”
― William B. Abernathy, The Sin of Wages