!publish!

content/factor/americandepartment.md

@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 +++
-title="The American Department"
+title="The American department"
 has_items=["item1.md", "item2.md"]
 +++
 
 
 
 
-# The “American Department”: MTM Method at Lebole
+# The “American department”: MTM Method at Lebole
 
 
 Lebole was and still is a clothing factory based in the Arezzo province, Tuscany, that became famous in the 1960s for a TV slogan advertising its men’s suits that recited “Ho un debole per l’uomo in Lebole”, translatable in English, albeit losing the rhyming of the original, with “I have a soft spot for men wearing Lebole”. 
@@ -21,13 +21,13 @@ Indeed, despite the commercial emphasis on men, the story of Lebole’s factory
 
 Yet, the organization of work at Lebole did not allow these women to demonstrate their skills. Rather, the introduction of MTM was preceded by a period of study, where expert consultants would observe, film and carefully time each of the workers’ movement in order to determine the most effective ways of scripting their workflows and movements, de facto expropriating them of their knowledges.
 
-The MTM method was first introduced in 1964 in only one of the three Lebole's industrial pavillions, which was quickly nicknamed the “American department”. At first, the workers selected to participate in the experimental production line were envied by the others, as they were see as being considered the best one. But very soon this initial perception changed into concern, as rumors begun to spread about the loss of freedom and brutal rhythms required by the reorganized work process.
+The MTM (Methods-Time Measurement) method was first introduced in 1964 in only one of the three Lebole's industrial pavillions, which was quickly nicknamed the “American department”. At first, the workers selected to participate in the experimental production line were envied by the others, as they were see as being considered the best one. But very soon this initial perception changed into concern, as rumors begun to spread about the loss of freedom and brutal rhythms required by the reorganized work process.
 
 As the MTM methods were rolled out across the entire production line, the health of the Leboline (informal name used by and for the workers at Lebole) begun to take a toll. Faintings, including mass fainting episodes, nervous breakdowns, and depression begun to spread. One of the workers reported how she couldn’t stop thinking about the same movements that she had to repeat all day long even when she was at home or in her sleep. Another one decided to end her own lifeand walk under a train during a break. In an attempt to limit the absences claimed for illness, the company doctors would frequently prescribe booster injections.  
 
 As workers’ struggles and unionization efforts grew stronger and stronger across the country, the Leboline also begun to organize against the conditions of exploitation that impacted their lives. 
 
-In this section, we look into the history of managerial techniques and the historical circumstances that lead to the introduction of the MTM method at Lebole. 
+In this section, we look into the history of managerial techniques and the historical circumstances that lead to the introduction of MTM at Lebole. 
 
 ![](static/images/metodo_americano_1.png)