Episode Summary
In this episode, host Scott W. Luton delves into the story of Dr. Lillian Gilbreth, whom many refer to as “the Mother of Modern Management” and “America’s First Lady of Engineering”. Scott shares how she defied the societal norms of the day to not only earn advanced degrees & respect – – but also impact industry & management philosophy in ways that few in history have ever done.
Episode Transcript
Scott Luton (00:12):
Good morning, Scott Luton here with you on this edition of this week in business history. Welcome to today’s show on this program, which is part of the supply chain. Now family of programming. We take a look back at the upcoming week, and then we share some of the most relevant events and milestones from years past, of course, mostly business focused with a little dab global supply chain. And occasionally we might just throw in a good story outside of our primary realm. So I invite you to join me on this. Look back in history to identify some of the most significant leaders, companies, innovations, and perhaps lessons learned in our collective business journey. Now let’s dive in to this week in business history.
Scott Luton (01:12):
Hey, good morning everybody. And thanks for joining us. I’m your host Scott Luton, and welcome to this edition of this week in business history for the week of May 24th. Thanks so much for listening to the show. Hey, before we get started today on our primary topic, I’ve got a couple of questions for you. Our team here this week in business history is always experimenting with content and approaches. We’d love to get your input. So on that note, what has been your favorite episode or two in what other podcasts do you admire would welcome any feedback that you might be able to provide us? And you can shoot us a note to amanda@supplychainnow.com. We’d love to hear from you. Hey, secondly, one of the ways that you can help us get the word out on our podcast is through your reviews on apple podcasts or your player of choice.
Scott Luton (02:05):
So if I could ask two favors this week, first, we’d love to hear your feedback. And then secondly, we love to earn your review. We’d greatly appreciate it. So in this episode of this week in business history right here today, we’ve got a special show lined up. In fact, frankly, I’ve learned quite a bit about a Titan in the world of management, as we’ll dive into the world of Dr. Lillian Gilbreth in today’s show, many have named Dr. [inaudible], the mother of modern management. So stay tuned to find out just why and as always, thanks again for joining us right here on this episode of this week in business history, powered by our team here at supply chain. Now Lilly Everland Mueller was born on May 24th, 1878 in Oakland, California, the oldest of 10 children, Lily was born in a well-to-do family. Her father, William was in the construction industry and he was educated at home until about the age of nine.
Scott Luton (03:11):
When she began her formal schooling in grade at a public elementary school, Lily excelled throughout her education and graduated high school with extremely high marks in May, 1896. However, William Mahler Lily’s father was opposed to higher education for women and for his daughters, his goal was to educate his daughters just enough to prepare them to affect actually run a household, but Lilly would not let that deter her passion for learning and growing. Even though her those beliefs had prevented her from taking all the required college prep classes in high school, Lily would go on to work on her father, plead with her father, make her case too, persuade him to allow her to attend college and she’d succeed on one condition. Lily had to take a Latin course in her first semester. So off to school, Lily went in an August, 1896. She would be amongst the earliest of classes at the university of Calgary fornia yet Berkeley Lily, Mahler wood graduate from college with a bachelor’s in literature in 1900.
Scott Luton (04:26):
And she’d become the first woman to speak at a university of California commencement. From this point forward, she also preferred the more formal name Lillian rather than Lily Lillian, willing to spend a little time at Columbia university in New York city. Although her health would have her come back to California, but her time at Columbia was meant to be, as she studied with psychologist, Edward Thorndyke, which would be a lifelong lasting influence on her work. Dorn certainly made his mark as a survey published in 2002, ranked him as the ninth, most cited psychologist, Lillian Mueller would return to the university of California and earn a master’s degree in literature in 1902, she would decide to stop and smell the roses a bit, which was an impactful, critical decision. Lillian chose to take a vacation to celebrate her graduation. And it was during this vacation where Lillian Mahler would meet Frank Gilbreath in Boston before she took off to Europe, Frank, okay.
Scott Luton (05:34):
The construction company and had been spending tons of time analyzing how his workers could improve their processes. Three weeks after Lillian returned from Europe, Frank Gilbreath proposed to her and they got married in 1904. Lillian would stay on the east coast as a two would all New York home Frank never went to, but was highly interested in business and workforce efficiencies. It rubbed off on Lillian and her educated background will play a big role in shaping their path forward in impacting industry worldwide, almost right away. The newly married couple established a new consulting firm that they’d operate together along with Frank’s construction company, speaking of their path forward, they also started the family. A big family. Eventually they’d have 11 children. Can you even imagine Frank’s priority was on the technical aspects when it comes to the efficiency of the workforce, Lillian placed more of a priority on the worker when it comes to time management, she discovered that the workforce was motivated by two big things, indirect incentives like wages and direct incentives like job satisfaction.
Scott Luton (06:52):
This human element focus fueled by Lillian’s worldview would set the Gilbreath system apart from its contemporaries, working together. The Gill breaths introduced organizations to scientific management and they established and shared best practices, such as jobs, standardization, incentive plans, and job simplification, Lily and Gilbreath would say, quote, scientific management is built on the recognition. The individual in quote go breaths would move to New Jersey to collaborate more closely with an early influencer on their work. Frederick Winslow, Taylor who some call the father of scientific management Taylor’s methods of optimizing processes and industry were popular at the time because they saved time and money. However, it would often come at the expense of the workforce. Eventually these massive differences in philosophy would cause a falling out between he’ll breaths and Taylor. Nevertheless, yes, Lillian and Frank Gilbreath would continue to grow their consultancy, working with a wide variety of sectors, the couple focused much of their work to find the one best way to perform any task, optimizing efficiency and productivity to this end, they would heavily utilize time and motion studies measuring, quantifying, and analyzing the time required to perform a task as well as the number of motions involved in completing it.
Scott Luton (08:27):
Funny enough, the work would often begin at home as they use Tom emotion studies to analyze their large families behavior. The Gilbreath home would become a testing ground of sorts for their ideas. Lillian and Frank would share their philosophies via numerous publications and books. Some coauthored, unfortunately when the two coauthored published work, sometimes Lillian wasn’t duly recognized. Oftentimes when her name added to a publication, it was added as L M Gilbreath. So as not to point out the fact that a female was coauthor, thankfully times have indeed largely changed the Gil brass consulting business took off in fact so much so that Frank would close up shop on his construction business. In 1912, Lily and Marla Gilbreath would earn a PhD from brown university in 1915 in applied psychology. She would become one of the first pioneers in the industrial management space to earn a doctorate.
Scott Luton (09:31):
In fact, many claim that Lily and Gilbreath would be the first to introduce psychology to management studies. Interestingly enough, Dr. Lillian Gilbreth would be one of the few PhDs to write two dissertations, which was submitted to the university of California. Berkeley would be declined due to her inability to be on campus in the final year of her studies. So Lillian would publish that dissertation in research as a series of articles in a magazine undeterred Lillian would build a second successful dissertation and ultimately earn her well-deserved PhD from brown. The couples published books, such as fatigue study released in 1916. Lillian would write about the need for optimal lighting, appropriate chairs, and even coffee breaks for the workforce during the early 20th century. These weren’t quite radical thoughts, but not that far off much of Lillian’s work would help create the field of ergonomics tragedy would strike in the summer of 1924.
Scott Luton (10:40):
As Frank Gilbreath was stricken by a heart attack and passed away in June of that year, Lillian would never remarry, but would work and continue to make major contributions to industry for decades to come in 1926, she became the first female member of the American society of mechanical engineers during the great depression Dr. Lillian Gilbreath was invited by president Hoover to be part of the emergency committee for unemployment. She honored the request and served very effectively Lilly and created the successful nationwide program entitled share the work which created tons of jobs. This was not her first or her last time serving her country. In fact, during world war II, Lillian would oversee the conversion of factories to war plants. Lillian Gilbreath would take her first salary position in 1935 at Purdue university home and the boilermakers where she became a full professor of management in the school, mechanical engineering.
Scott Luton (11:46):
In fact, Lillian was the first female professor in the engineering school there when not teaching Lillian would continue her revolutionary work, including helping Macy’s improved both the cashiers and typing pooled apartments, focusing on workplace layout and equipment design, general electric and other manufacturers asked Lillian to help them better design appliances and other instrumental work at big name companies was completed by Dr. Gilbreth, including such big names as Johnson and Johnson and IBM, Dr. Lily and Gill breaths talent was truly multifaceted as she is also credited with a variety of inventions, such as the foot pedal trashcan, adding shelves, such as the egg keeper and butter tray to refrigerator doors and wall lights witches in 1965, Gilbreath would become the first woman elected to the national academy of engineering. And in 1966, Dr. Lillian Gilbreth would be awarded the Hoover medal, which is a prestigious honor that recognizes outstanding civic or humanitarian service Lillian’s award citation noted, quote, her and selfish application of energy and creative efforts in modifying industrial and home environments for the handicapped has resulted in full employment of their capabilities and elevation of their self-esteem in quote, in the interest of balance and accuracy.
Scott Luton (13:21):
It should be noted that for a certain period of her life Gilbreath did embrace and promote eugenics, a movement that sought to enhance the reproduction of humans with certain characteristics. After the movement reached the U S in the 1920s, 1930s, it largely disappeared thankfully once Hitler and the Nazis embraced it during their reign of terror on a much lighter note, a few other notable recognitions that Gilbert would receive during her long distinguished career. Dr. Lillian Gilbreath was a recipient of more than two dozen honorary degrees. She’d be inducted into the national women’s hall of fame. She’d earned a variety of nicknames, including America’s first lady of engineering and the mother of modern management. Of course, Dr. Lillian Gilbreth long time helper and handyman might’ve put it best when he said that she worked a lifetime to quote, make it easy for folks to work hard in quote, amazingly Dr.
Scott Luton (14:25):
Lillian Gilbreath wouldn’t retire until 1968 at the age of 90, having put all of her 11 kids through college, unfortunately she wouldn’t be able to enjoy that well-deserved retirement for long after a long life lived and extraordinary contributions made to modern industry, including some that wouldn’t truly be realized for a few decades to come Dr. Lillian Gilbreth died of a stroke on January 2nd, 1972 in Phoenix, Arizona. But I think she had already realized how impactful her legendary work had been. And the enormous legacy that she was leaving behind industry had changed and would continue to change for the better, to a large extent, but due to the impact that Dr. Lillian Gilbreth had had on management philosophy and approach in her later years, Dr. Gilbreath would say, quote, the research was so near to my heart
Speaker 3 (15:27):
Would be carried on by other
Scott Luton (15:29):
People. And that was the only thing that mattered my life. Ideal work and passion
Speaker 3 (15:36):
Would go on. Well, that
Scott Luton (15:39):
Just about wraps up this edition of this week in business history. Hey, big, thanks to you. Our listener for tuning into the show each week. Remember, we’d love to have your feedback and your review on behalf of the entire team here this week in business history. And of course, over at supply chain. Now this is Scott Luton was all over listeners, nothing but the best. Hey, do good give forward and be the change that’s needed. And on that note, we’ll see you next time right here on this week in business history. Thanks everybody.
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