From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Directive to staff about reverting to pre-war business organisation and procedures following the war.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 33\1\ Scan252 | |
| Date | 22th October 1919 | |
| To the Members of the Staff. Now that we are getting back to our pre-war activities I am desirous that we should as far as possible get back to our pre-war organisation modified to such an extent as the greater operations of the Company demand. Firstly, the heads of each department should so devolve their personal activities by dividing up their responsibilities amongst their subordinates so as to leave them more time for actual direction of the work for which they are responsible rather than to undertake themselves too much detail work. During the war, owing to the pecularities of the Company's chief customer, great risks had to be undertaken in proceeding with work of great value and importance to the Country without first carrying out the important initial principle of any commercial undertaking, viz., to obtain a firm written order from the people who have ultimately to pay for the work. In peace time, no work whatever which has to be paid for, should be undertaken by the Works, the Sales Department, or any branch of the Company, until the Commercial Department concerned has received from the customer a written order for the work to be performed. Unless such an order is received, difficulties may arise in collecting the amount due to the Company. Where work has to be performed at the Company's expense, a decision to this effect should be obtained before the work is proceeded with. In order therefore, that this organisation may proceed automatically and with as little waste of energy as possible, the producing and distributing departments (which includes the Works at Derby, the various repair depots and the Sales Department) should only supply goods or proceed with work after they have received leading instructions accompanied by a manufacturing order number from the Commercial Departments. | ||