The American Silent Slapstick Movie Modern Times

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Analysis
Course of Action
References

Introduction

The American silent slapstick movie Modern Times released in the 1930s is a depiction of a man who struggles to live in a modern, industrialized nation. The audience receives a message in the first minutes that the film is “a story of industry, of individual enterprise – humanity, crusading in the pursuit of happiness” (Chaplin, 1936, 00:01.33). In reality, this picture is a satire of the dire job and economic circumstances many citizens had to suffer from during the Great Depression. The first twenty minutes of this piece of art illuminate the issues of a classical management style organization, with the main issue being the negligent attitude of the management, stemming from the devaluation of employee labor and leading to poor communication and motivation. Among the theories that shed light on such issues are classical management and human relations theories, along with scientific management theory, which will be discussed in the analysis section (ADMN 2510H, 2022-b). Both the analysis section and the course of action will involve structural and human resource frames.

Analysis

Industrialization was a crucial period in the development of many countries, and this process led many companies to utilize human labor to the maximum along with the incorporation of newly-introduced technology. In the film Modern Times, it is evident that the company Electro Steel Corp. was focused on creating revenue and producing as many goods as it could. As a result, the firm faced dreary consequences, with constant failures at the workplace. A significant issue at the factory was the negligent attitude of the management, which in turn led to the devaluation of employee labor, poor communication, lack of motivation, and unsafe work conditions. Such a situation can be viewed from the perspective of organizational theories.

Organizational Theories

Organizational theories can be characterized as tools that are used to evaluate and understand companies more comprehensively. Research of a firm’s productivity, performance, personnel, and group behavior are all included in organizational theories. They help with not only grasping the approaches and standards of the firm and its management but allows us to see the necessary changes and ways to achieve success. To analyze the issue of the Electro Steel Corp. from the film Modern Times, several theories can be applied, including classical management theory, scientific management theory, and human relations theory.

The first theory is mostly known as classical management theory. It was introduced during the Industrial Revolution in the early 1900s (ADMN 2510H, 2022-b). Its primary components were factories, assembly lines, mechanization, and a significant personnel. The theory addresses the characteristics of the workforce, indicating authoritativeness, specialization, job division, and laws and guidelines. According to the theory, companies should be run as productive machines that work for effectiveness and profitability (ADMN 2510H, 2022-b). In Modern Times, the control is in the hands of the company’s president, with only one individual being responsible for the speed regulation of the machines and several people executing simplified duties. The treatment of the organization as a machine leads to issues. To boost the productivity of the company, employees had short breaks. For example, when the main character, played by Charlie Chaplin, leaves to go to the bathroom, the president of the company criticizes him by saying, “Quit stalling! Get back to work!” (Chaplin, 1936, 00:06:00). By such action, the president shows his desire to maximize the output.

Taylorism, another term for Scientific Management theory, is a more streamlined form of Classical Management theory. As per this theory, the firm’s organizational strategy focuses on the science of optimizing productivity and efficiency. The corporation, however, fails to follow the theory’s recommendations for organizing the labor, giving employees the right equipment, prioritizing workers and their training, and encouraging workers to optimize their output through incentives. The firm Electro Steel Corp. failed to organize the work of the foremen but provided the employees with proper training. For example, in the beginning, it is seen how the speed of the assembly lines increases, yet the same number of people continues to work. Furthermore, when a foreman at the beginning of the line starts to work at a slower speed, the entire work process stalls. As for the training, the main character lacked the knowledge of basic guidelines at the factory and, in the end, sprayed oil in the eyes of the coworkers. As a result, due to poor organization of the work and training, the company endangers the health of the employees.

The last theory is the human relations theory introduced by Elton Mayo. Treating workers like people instead of perceiving them as machines are Mayo’s solution to the main problem with Taylorism (ADMN 2510H, 2022-b). The concept of people being significant assets advises recognizing and appreciating workers and their abilities. The final requirement is cooperation, including taking part in activities and decisions. In Modern Times, the audience can view the attempts of Electro Steel Corp. to incorporate the Billows feeding machine, which could assist the employees in eating lunch. However, this machine’s consideration was aimed at increasing working hours and productivity rather than providing adequate conditions to the staff. As it was mentioned in the film: “Don’t stop for lunch – be ahead of your competitor” (Chaplin, 1936, 00:08:27). This illuminates the attitude toward the person and indicates the negligence of foremen’s rights.

Frames

The four primary frames of organizational theories are structural, human resource, political, and symbolic. Setting frames aids in information gathering and filtering, judgment, and decision-making on various topics, including helping to comprehend and find meaning in how companies are run. To respond to changing circumstances, managers frequently adopt many frames rather than committing to one (ADMN 2510H, 2022-a). Organizational leaders typically begin decision-making and goal-setting with a single hypothesis or frame, or they may change their position when they come up with answers or frame and reframe.

In Modern Times, two main frames allow the audience to view the company’s issue from a different perspective. According to the structural framework, the primary issue for managers is to keep the organization aligned with the goals, technology, and environment (ADMN 2510H, 2022-a). Whenever they are out of alignment, issues arise, which happened to Electro Steel Corp. The movie depicted that while the goals and technology are in alignment, the workplace, or the environment, is an impediment mainly due to the attitude of the management. The company fails to create a healthy workplace with balanced work and rest, along with proper training and encouragement. As a result, the employees put the health of their coworkers at risk by violating safety guidelines. The main character not only sprayed machine liquid into the eyes of the coworkers but hurt them with tools via negligent behavior.

Another frame that can be applied in the given movie is the human resource frame. According to this frame, people have demands, and they need to be met. It advises the companies to encourage completion of the task and empower a commitment to open dialogue, teamwork, coaching and assistance, and compassion (ADMN 2510H, 2022-a). However, these recommendations were not followed in the movie Modern Times since the employees constantly fought. The movie illuminated the irritability of the coworkers and their lack of communication. For example, a lack of cooperation can be seen during the moments of work on the assembly line. The main character was slower than the rest of the team, which irritated the latter.

Course of Action

As for the course of action, I will use structural and resource frames. I consider the given frames the most vital when reaching for efficiency and productivity. For example, a structural frame is essential due to the creation of an adequate work environment in every aspect. With the help of this frame, the employees obtain adequate working conditions with technology and motivation from the management. In Modern Times, the firm owns proper technology and strives to produce large quantities of goods. However, the company does not provide the staff with incentives, such as wage increases. The president even reminds the main character to stop his break.

Furthermore, the human resource frame is vital as well since the main asset of the company is its personnel. While it is essential to build trust between the management and staff, it is also crucial to ensure cooperation between the employees. In the film, neither recommendation was followed since the president is only concerned with receiving maximum input and is constantly hostile toward the employees. Moreover, the foremen do not cooperate since they do not have coaching and training sessions that could unite the team. Consequently, the main issue of the firm Electro Steel Corp. lies within the negligence of management that leads to poor workplace conditions and miscommunication.

References

ADMN 2510H. (2022-a). Organizational Frames. [Name of the University].

ADMN 2510H. (2022-b). Organizational Theories. [Name of the University].

Chaplin, C. (Director). (1936). Modern Times [Film]. United Artists.

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