Gilbreth Reading Synopsis and Relevance to Construction Industry

Cheaper by the Dozen is a biographical novel by Frank Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine
Gilbreth Cary, which revolves around the Gilbreth couple, their children and their
upbringing during the 1920s. Frank Gilbreth is portrayed as a self-made man and
obsessed with work efficiency. He is a time and motion study specialist working with
several industries across the United States, United Kingdom and Germany. Lillian
Gilbreth, his wife, is a reserved and mild mannered industrial psychologist. After
their marriage, they plan to have a dozen children, which is surprisingly what they
end up having. There are several key learnings that can be derived from the book,
which can be applied to the construction industry in terms of cost, time, quality and
safety. The title of the book, referring to the children, serves as a testament to the
cost efficiency of the Gilbreths. The household chores were awarded based on the
lowest bid, which parallels the project acquisition process in the construction
industry. Gilbreth used to come up with a myriad of ways to eliminate wastage and
improve productivity for mundane day-to-day activities, like buttoning his shirt
bottom-to-top and using two shaving bristles. Consequently, he discovered that
Unavoidable Delays are the most critical and least controllable factor contributing
to the work process efficiency. These motion studies are relevant to construction, as
similar techniques can be adopted to rejuvenate its productivity, which has been
going downhill since 1964. The Gilbreth family inculcated a culture of strict
discipline enforced using mutual love and respect. The family assembly by whistle
blowing, had once saved the Gilbreth family from perishing in an accidental fire.
Furthermore, Frank Gilbreth also developed a regimental roll call system, so that no
child is left behind during their frequent trips and a family council, which invited
democratic decisions on family matters. The incident when Gilbreth trains the
children rigorously on land, before they were permitted to actually set sail on the
catboat Rena, is a perfect example of imparting safety training and following proper
procedure before engaging in a potentially dangerous activity. Similarly,
construction workers should pay due diligence and follow the established safety
guidelines and emergency protocol, which are unfortunately neglected and
overlooked. Gilbreth imparted education using daily life experiences in a playful and
creative manner, as with the motion study of ants carrying food, calculating the
speed of sound by observing steam from factory chimneys and the use of the plumb
line to ensure the verticality of those chimneys. He had started as a bricklayer, and
invented a unique scaffolding system which made it physically easier and improved
labor productivity, by ensuring that the wall being built and the bricks were at the
same level. However, he was quickly made a superintendent, and later moved on to
start his own contracting business. Simple inventions and alterations to existing
processes can improve the efficiency of a lot of construction activities. Gilbreth
often used incentives in educational games to teach the children the value of
money and time. This can be illustrated by the teaching of the touch system on the
typewriter, the Morse code and the French and German language recordings in the
bathroom. Gilbreth believed that each activity can be broken down into units of
motion called therbligs (Gilbreth reversed) and if the time spent on each therblig
can be curtailed, the entire activity can become much more efficient. Most of
Gilbreths studies can be implemented as lean construction strategies, which aims

to reduce waste and add value, by continuous improvement and a culture of

respect.