The Pursuit of Productivity: A Marxist Analysis of How Frederick Winslow Taylor and Dr. W. Irving Clark Revolutionized the American Factory During the Early Twentieth Century

Author

Stephen N. Hood, Portland State UniversityFollow

First Advisor

Joseph Bohling

Date of Award

Spring 6-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in History and University Honors

Department

History

Language

English

Subjects

Industrial Medicine, W. Irving Clark, Taylorism, Marxist, Capitalism

Abstract

In 1911, two events occurred that laid the framework for a revolution in factory management; Frederick Winslow Taylor published his famous work The Principles of Scientific Management; and The Norton Emery Company Hired W. Irving Clark to open a first-of-its-kind medical facility. Clark’s work should be understood as an extension of the scientific management that Taylor championed during the turn of the twentieth century. The factory served as a laboratory for men like Clark and Taylor to create new methods for increasing productivity while attempting to overcome contradictions inherent to the capitalist mode of production. By utilizing the work of Marx to comprehend the capitalist mode of production, this research provides an understanding of the motivations behind the work of Taylor and Clark. Both men were at the forefront of new systems of control which placed knowledge in the hands of management. Though not a well-known figure in the history of industrial medicine, W. Irving Clark was instrumental in the development of the field. By acknowledging his place in the historical record, we are left with a more comprehensive understanding of the development of both American occupational medicine and capitalism.

Recommended Citation

Hood, Stephen N., "The Pursuit of Productivity: A Marxist Analysis of How Frederick Winslow Taylor and Dr. W. Irving Clark Revolutionized the American Factory During the Early Twentieth Century" (2024). University Honors Theses. Paper 1527.