Ep 31. Minisode: Lillian Gilbreth and the Radical Power of Empathy at Work

In this miniepisode of the TroopHR Podcast, host Taylor Bradley spotlights Lillian Gilbreth, an often-overlooked pioneer who quietly reshaped the future of work. Long before terms like “employee experience” or “ergonomics” existed, Lillian was asking questions that still challenge leaders today: Can efficiency and empathy coexist? How do we design systems that serve both business goals and human needs?

From being one of the first women in America to earn a PhD in applied psychology to running a consulting firm as a widowed mother of 12, Lillian’s legacy offers powerful lessons for HR professionals navigating today’s AI-driven, fast-paced workplaces. Her revolutionary contributions to industrial-organizational psychology and human-centered design still influence how we think about productivity, inclusion, and well-being at work.

Credits
TroopHR Founder: Tracy Avin
Show Producer: Nicole Fealey
Show Host: Taylor Bradley
Note: Transcripts generated by AI.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 1:28 Lillian Gilbreth: A Pioneer in IO Psychology
• 3:41 Lillian's Legacy and Impact on HR

Transcript

 Welcome to the Troop HR podcast. I'm your host, Taylor Bradley. Today we're gonna walk you through a mini sode, just a few minutes and one story. The one thing that packs a punch, not because it's loud or flashy, but because it's quietly revolutionary. Today we're gonna talk about Lillian Gilbert, a name that might not ring a bell, but by the end of this episode, I think you'll agree that she belongs in every conversation about leadership, innovation, and the future of work.

So let's set the scene. The year is 1910. The workplace is changing rapidly. Factories are a buzzing. Assembly lines are now the gold standard of productivity and industrial efficiency is the measure of success. It's a world built for machines and workers are expected to keep up in this era. The idea of considering how work feels emotionally, psychologically, and even physically wasn't just overlooked.

It was nearly unthinkable, and that's where Lillian comes in. Born in 1878, Lillian Gilbert grew up with a love of literature and a passion for learning. She went on to earn not one, but multiple degrees, eventually becoming one of the first women in America to receive a PhD in applied Psychology. But it wasn't just what she studied, it's what she applied that changed everything together with her and her husband, Frank Gilbert.

Lillian became a pioneer in what's known as industrial organizational psychology. Or IO psychology. You might recognize the phrase, time in motion studies and approach to improving efficiency by analyzing how tasks are performed. It was a breakthrough at the time, and Frank often, often gets the credit for the engineering side of it.

But Lillian, she brought the heart While Frank focused on process. Ian focused on people. She asked questions that were ahead of her time. Does this task make sense from a worker's point of view? Is this movement physically sustainable? Can we design work to reduce fatigue, prevent injury, and improve satisfaction?

Today we'd call that ergonomics, but back then it was radical and then life shifted. In 1924, Frank died unexpectedly, and Lillian now a widowed mother of 12. Yes, that's right. 12 was left to raise a family on her own and continue their business. It would've been understandable, even expected for her to step back.

Lillian took over the consulting firm that she had shared with her husband and not just to keep it afloat, but she grew it. She consulted with companies and governments and helped design kitchens and hospitals, and even advised on wartime production methods during World War ii. She brought empathy into efficiency, humanity, into management and innovation, into the every day.

Now, here's where things get really interesting for us in the HR world, Lillian wasn't just a scientist or a mother or a businesswoman. She was in many ways the first person to blend human psychology with workplace systems at scale. She advocated for thoughtful work environments Before employee experience was even a phrase, she believed that improving processes should never come at the cost of the person doing the work.

That productivity should serve people and not the other way around. Let that sink in. Some of her ideas are things that we take for granted now, like the adjustable workstations step, saving layouts and simplified training processes. But beneath all of the innovation was a simple, powerful belief that good design is inclusive.

And long before work-life balance became a buzzword, she was living it, navigating motherhood, business and leadership on her own terms. Still, her name isn't always remember, but her legacy, it's everywhere. So here's the takeaway, and I say especially to my fellow HR leaders in a world racing towards faster technology, AI, and automation.

Lillian reminds us to pause and ask, what's the human impact? Are we, as we design systems, policies, and workplaces? Are we designing for efficiency or for empathy, or maybe just a little bit of both? Because great leadership as Lillian showed us, isn't just about finding faster ways. It's about building better ones.

Thank you for joining us today in this mini episode of the Troop HR podcast. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Troop HR podcast. If you've enjoyed this episode, we encourage you to subscribe and leave a five star rating. If you would like to learn more about our community, please visit troop hr.com.

In the meantime, keep living the dream.