MEANING OF DISCIPLINE  Discipline has been variously defined as : ‘to train to obey implicitly an order’, ‘ to train to behave in accordance with rules and regulations’ ‘to bring under control’,‘an orderly way of doing things’‘established learning’.However, none of these definitions can compress within itself such a vast and comprehensive concept as ‘Discipline’; hence all he above phrases emphasize only one of its aspects.The word discipline owes its origin to religion, but it was in the army that it helped achieve spectacular results. When big battles were won not by the numerically superior army, that but by the one that had better disciplined soldiers who has a very high morale, a more intense motivation to win, and had the benefit effective leadership, popular imagination marveled at such achievements. Discipline thus came to be equated with the army. 

In order setting, in the present days of mass production and giant industrial complexes, where Productivity is the key to survival, we have factories employing even a few thousand workers. To achieve he avowed aim of higher productivity would invariably mean ‘working together’ with managers, supervisors, colleagues and subordinates by our industrial workers. If we do not have any rules of conduct, or set standards of behavior when we work together in a factory, there would be chaos. Therefore, certain rules of behavior are framed for the proper attainment of the objectives, i.e., higher productivity and maximum production. Discipline in the factory is conducive to effective realization of the objectives of an organization.  To a certain extent, all concerned conform to these established rules of behaviour or conduct. Should or conduct. Should there be violations of such established rules from any quarter, discipline would go down to some extent, deflecting from the achievement of the avowed objectives.

The prime need to maximize production in industry and the desperate need to fulfil production targets lead some persons to believe that the army type of discipline can also be enforced in industry, with equal success. We shall, however, see as we go along, that the objectives of an army and those of industry are different, that there are structural and functional differences between the two and, that above all, thee are basic difference in the means of discipline maintenance, which warrant a reorientation in our thinking on discipline in industry.  The following are the basic prerequisites of discipline in the industrial setting: 1.      The goals or objective should be clearly stated. The rules must, in clear and unambiguous terms, specify the standards expected of the workmen;2.      Specific and clear rules and regulations should be in existence;3.      Such rules and regulations should be communicated to and must be understood, in the same terms, by those who enforce the rules and those who have to obey such rules;4.      The enforcement authority must be specified;5.      The procedure for appeal by an aggrieved party should be specified;6.      The quantum of prescribed punishment should be known; 7.      Immediately on joining service, and employee should be made to under stand these rules;8.       The rules of conduct must contain provision for investigation and settlement of grievance, arising out of and during the course of employment. 

If the above pre-conditions exists and the procedures are administered with objective fairness, the chances are that, given cooperation and good will from both the sides, coupled with a solution-finding approach, there will be a higher tone of discipline, for the benefit of all concerned.

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