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The New Zealand Railways Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 3 (July 24, 1926)

The Highway of Success — Tact, Courtesy and Co-operation Earn Their Own Reward

page 32

The Highway of Success
Tact, Courtesy and Co-operation Earn Their Own Reward

The Commercial Manager (D. Rodie) does some Broadcasting

Our great national undertaking is a service which exacts a high degree of zeal, energy and efficiency from its countless members. It would not be possible to anticipate success if every individual engaged on the railways did not exercise that co-operation and devotion to duty which is not baulked by the hardships and dangers that must necessarily be encountered. To keep this spirit alive there must be no division between the management and the staff. Nothing succeeds like cooperation; and this relationship is the more necessary when it is remembered that the prosperity of the country depends to a large extent on the success of its railway system.

The old belief that there is a vast dissimilarity between the conduct of a private concern and the Railways will not hold water to-day. It is often argued that Government departments are greatly over-staffed and subjected to perpetual political interference; but critics always overlook the wide distinction between State and private enterprises, in that the fundamental principle of one is the public well-being and that of the other private gain. The competition which is the basis of profit-making in the world of business is, in public administration, supplanted to a great degree by wise co-ordination and control. There is a wide diversity in principle, but in method the difference is not so great. Always, the magnitude of the Railways must be taken into account. Another distinetly important feature when comparisons are made, is that the Railways are more open to public review, a circumstance which tends to magnify apparent deficiencies; but all factors considered, and without laying any claim to perfection, the Railway methods bear more than favourable comparison with those of the business concerns.

This may be very satisfactory, but it does not signify that the day has been won. We must always keep foremost in our minds the truism that success can be retained only by the maintenance of the original standard which achieved it. A helpful thought in this connection, too, is the aphorism: “What is easily achieved is as lightly regarded.” Moreover Railway history is changing rapidly, and following closely in the wake of the dawn of a new era of public requirement is the demand for an entirely new character of service. To furnish that new service entails modernisation of equipment, better rolling stock and roadbed, higher speeds with an adequate safety margin, and increased comfort for the traveller. The preservation of the personal factor between the Railway and its customers is also of the greatest importance. Tact and courtesy constitute the paying material of the highway along which we have to proceed. A personal visit by a Railway representative to a disgruntled client will do more towards the creation of goodwill than the choicest letter ever penned.

Well defined rules and regulations are essential for the conduct of so great an organisation as ours, but the accommodation of the client is in some cases more important to the net result than strict adherence to regulation. Slavery to the mere letter of the rules sometimes has disastrous effects, when a slight deviation (as warranted by the circumstances) might convert an unfavourable one. And, remember, every convert will convert others.

Service should be our first consideration. I do not mean servitude; far from it. The practice of service places the employee in the position of a host and the customer in the light of a guest. Public goodwill is the key to the successful operation of the Railway Department, and good service is the basis of public goodwill. To understand thoroughly the requirements of service there is a necessity for co-ordination between all branches of the organisation. Every employee must familiarise himself with the business affairs of the Railways. The day is past when the spirit of “that is no concern of mine, it has to do with Department Blank” can stand. Each employee should regard himself as an indispensable factor in the operations of a great human enterprise. We are all working to the one goal.

The day will never return when it can be claimed that the workers in an industry in this country can afford to be indifferent to the conditions and the outlook of the industry that employs them.

In the Railway service a helpful guide to all employees is the statistical information that is compiled from week to week. It represents a barometer which records the business of the page 33 department upon whose success the livelihood of the staff from the highest to the lowest depends. Examine, therefore, with the utmost care the fluctuations of this mute recorder, always remembering that you can assist to keep it on the upward trend.

Let me make a passing reference to the work of the Accountancy Branch which provides this indication of progress. It is impossible to divorce the work of the Accountant from the business operations; he acts as the alarm-signal for wasteful, inefficient and unbusinesslike practices.

We have all to remember that little subtraction sum: Receipts munus expenditure equals profits, and it is the duty of the Railway Board to see that what is obtained after that subtraction has been made is equivalent to 41/8 per cent. on the capital cost of the Railways. A knotty problem, you say? That is not denied, but it is one which a real spirit of co-operation can render the more easy of solution.

With our business axes sharpened we can blaze a trail in the forest of success, appreciate the ultimate result the more by virtue of its difficult attainment, and keep it secure by a continuance of our initial efforts. It would be an irretrievable mistake to attempt to spoonfeed the public-they themselves neither seek nor desire it-but by courtesy and tact we can stimulate their interest, win their confidence and prove that the Department is out to serve them. Do not misunderstand me. It is not a case of approaching our customers cap in hand. In offering the public the use of a public utility we are backed by the merits of a service which entitle it to their patronage.