Gilbreth, Frank B. 1868-1924

PIONEER OF SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT

Scientific Management.

Frank B. Gilbreth put the "scientific" in Frederick W. Taylor's theories of scientific management in the 1910s. Gilbreth began as a Taylor disciple, but after Taylor died he took up the mantle as one of the leaders in the growing field of industrial engineering. Gilbreth, born in the small town of Fairfield, Maine, in 1868, used his background in bricklaying, a flair for inventions, and a businessman's savvy to build a national reputation and gain the public's acceptance of his work. Gilbreath pioneered the effort to eliminate wasted movements from factory work by studying a worker's movements with special machinery and using the information gained to devise the most efficient means to do the job. Gilbreth advanced the notion that industrial organizations should be built on interchangeable parts and speed work. He developed his ideas independently of Taylor (in part...

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