Public Lecture
University of Leicester, Department of Media and Communication
Tuesday 12th May 5.00-6.30 p.m.
Venue: Lecture Theatre 3, Ken Edwards Building, University of Leicester
The cinematic origins of productivity: Witnessing work in early time-motion studies
Melissa Gregg, Principal Engineer, Intel Corporation
A century ago, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth’s time and motion studies created new standards for productivity by grouping together similar tasks in a streamlined workflow. These studies were filmed to provide ‘before and after’ insight on the number of unnecessary motions removed from tasks as varied as bricklaying, card-punching, pear-washing, soap-packing and labelling produce. These silent films were punctuated by a smiling Frank presiding over information slides with vital statistics that declared triumphant efficiency reforms.
The Gilbreths produced a visual record of performance that transformed the worker’s conception of his job away from the broader team or work gang towards a consideration of his own individual achievement. This made work competitive, as individuals strove against their own prior records as much as those of their teammates. But just as important: the keeping of records, the performance of productivity for a witnessing eye, coincided with the first mainstream experiences of cinematic vision.
Published as The Psychology of Management (1914), Lillian Gilbreth’s PhD made links between the worker’s desire to have a performance recorded for history and the ambitions of actors hoping to have their artistic performances recorded for posterity on screen. Productivity’s standardizing gaze became a means to match and improve upon a previous version of oneself, and in turn, a way of being recognized. This talk explains how the Gilbreths turned work into a science, labor into information, and the worker into an individual, indeed, an athlete – whose ability to accomplish ever greater productivity became a victory to strive for and possess.
Bio: Dr Melissa Gregg is Principal Engineer in User Experience at Intel Corporation researching the future of work. Her publications include Work’s Intimacy (2011), The Affect Theory Reader (co-edited with Gregory J. Seigworth, 2010) and Cultural Studies’ Affective Voices (2006). Her forthcoming book, Counterproductive, examines the history of time- and self-management in the workplace.
Attendance is free and open to the public, and all are welcome – but please email Carla Starmer at [log in to unmask] to reserve your place.
--------------------------------------------------------
MeCCSA mailing list
--------------------------------------------------------
To manage your subscription or unsubscribe from the MECCSA list, please visit:
https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=MECCSA&A=1
-------------------------------------------------------
MeCCSA is the subject association for the field of media, communication and cultural studies in UK Higher Education.
This mailing list is a free service and is not restricted to members. It is an unmoderated list and content reflect the views of those who post to the list and not of MeCCSA as an organisation.
MeCCSA recommends that the list be used only for posting of information (for example about events, publications, conferences, lectures) of interest to members or to promote discussion of current issues of wide general interest in the field. Posts to the MeCCSA mailing list are public, indexed by Google, and can be accessed from the JISCMail website (http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/meccsa.html).
Any messages posted to the list are subject to the JISCMail acceptable use policy, which states that users should avoid engaging in unreasonable behaviour, or disrupting the general flow of discussion on a list.
For further information, please visit: http://www.meccsa.org.uk/
--------------------------------------------------------
|
