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Lillian Gilbreth, a pioneer in the field of industrial and organizational psychology, was such an introverted little girl that her parents homeschooled her until she was 9 years old. That home was a busy place, and little Lillian, the eldest of 9 children, often filled in for her ill mother. The hectic pace of life that had begun during Lillian’s childhood kept up for the rest of her life. She and her husband Frank ­Gilbreth, both of them efficiency experts, created a ­consulting business and had 12 children. The couple pioneered the use of filming people at work in order to analyze the motions needed to perform a task more efficiently, and applied those same principles to helping their children manage their lives more effectively. The family’s lifestyle inspired two of the children to later write the book Cheaper By the Dozen, which also became a popular film.

After Frank died at a relatively young age, ­Lillian continued to support her family as an industrial consultant. She did this in an era that allowed only her husband’s name to appear on the books they wrote together, out of fear of losing credibility if publishers advertised a female author! Frank had never earned a degree, but Lillian had a master’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a PhD from Brown.

The San Diego Supercomputer Center described Lillian Gilbreth as “a genius in the art of living.” Her ability to think scientifically also helped her create small and large innovations for the home and workplace. Foot pedals on garbage cans? Thank Lillian Gilbreth. The “work triangle” in efficiency kitchens? Thank Lillian Gilbreth. The driving idea behind all these ideas was human efficiency. Efficiency is the ­driving idea behind sampling, as well. Why work harder when an easier way is readily available? Why study 400,000 people if 400 people, sampled properly, will yield the same information?