TEDxTalks
If we are willing to bomb the world for democracy, and most people value being free citizens on the street, why are so many willing to be serfs at work? So argues Mark Dowds in this TEDxTalk from TEDxBelfast.
The average person spends one third of their life at work and the economy is sustained by their efforts, however many still permit a manager to do their thinking for them. This stems from a philosophy proposed by Frederick W. Taylor in the late 19th century which sought to carefully plan daily tasks for each worker, standardize tasks and tools, provide good pay for good work and poor pay for failure, and remove all "brainwork" from the shop floor and place it in the planning department. The intent of this aspect of effective management in an industrial world was held within the framework of the modern dream, where a future was being created where citizens would be freer to enjoy life eventually. This deferred hope never arrived and many hearts grew sick giving way to an unsettled craving for more of life today. It is time to take ownership of the remaining third of our day at work and make a difference in the world.
One hundred years ago, ship builders were putting the final touches to the RMS Titanic before the hull was launched in May 1911. You could have seen the ship from the Belfast Harbour Commissioners Offices. This historic building was the venue in March 2011 for the very first TEDxBelfast. We were sitting in an historical place, but we were considering the future and the place of creativity in this city.
