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Hawthorne Study / Experiments

The Hawthorne Studies conducted from 1924-1932 examined the impact of workplace conditions on productivity. Researchers made changes to lighting, breaks, and incentives but found productivity increased regardless, revealing the importance of social and emotional factors in employee motivation and performance. Specifically, they discovered that informal work groups formed and influenced individual behaviors, and feelings of recognition from management positively impacted workers. The findings challenged prior beliefs and emphasized the human relations approach in organizations.

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Senthil Kumar
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136 views12 pages

Hawthorne Study / Experiments

The Hawthorne Studies conducted from 1924-1932 examined the impact of workplace conditions on productivity. Researchers made changes to lighting, breaks, and incentives but found productivity increased regardless, revealing the importance of social and emotional factors in employee motivation and performance. Specifically, they discovered that informal work groups formed and influenced individual behaviors, and feelings of recognition from management positively impacted workers. The findings challenged prior beliefs and emphasized the human relations approach in organizations.

Uploaded by

Senthil Kumar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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HAWTHORNE STUDY / EXPERIMENTS

WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY

HAWTHORNE PLANT, ILLINOIS, CHICAGO, USA

EXPERIMENT WAS CONDUCTED BY A TEAM OF


RESEARCHERS LED BY ELTON MAYO & FRITZ
ROETHLISBERGER OF HARVARD SCHOOL OF BUSINESS FROM
1924 TO 1932.

1
FOUR DIFFERENT PHASES OF THE EXPERIMENT:

 ILLUMINATION EXPERIMENT

 RELAY ASSEMBLY TEST ROOM

 INTERVIEWING PROGRAMME

 BANK WIRING OBSERVATION ROOM

2
ELTON MAYO et.al. DID PIONEERING WORK
TO ANSWER THE IMPORTANT QUESTION OF
HOW TO ENGAGE EMPLOYEES LONG BACK,
ALMOST ABOUT HUNDRED YEARS AGO.

THEIR PAINSTAKING RESEARCH IN THE


HAWTHORNE PLANT IN 1920S BROUGHT TO
LIGHT SOME HITHERTO UNKNOWN /
UNACKNOWLEDGED FACTS.

3
THE CONCLUSION AND LEARNING
FROM HAWTHORNE STUDY:

 THIS STUDY REVEALED AND EMPHASISED THE IMPORTANCE OF


HUMAN RELATIONS APPROACH IN AN ORGANISATION
 THROUGH THIS EXPERIMENT THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL NEEDS
OF THE WORKERS WERE REALISED
 THE IMPORTANCE OF INFORMAL GROUP, GROUP NORMS AND
VALUES WERE REALISED AND THIS FINDING DIFFERED WITH THE
“RABBLE HYPOTHESIS” OF FREDRICK TAYLOR
 WORKERS VALUE RECOGNITION BY THE MANAGEMENT
 EMOTIONAL FACTORS ARE NOT A CONTMEPTIBLE COMMODITY,
MEANING THAT THE HUMAN BEINGS CANNOT BE KEPT HAPPY ONLY
WITH PHYSICAL COMFORTS AND FINANCIAL BENEFITS.
4
“RABBLE HYPOTHESIS” ASSUMPTIONS:

 NATURAL SOCIETY CONSISTS OF A HORDE OF UNORGANIZED


INDIVIDUALS

 EVERY INDIVIDUAL ACTS IN A MANNER CALCULATED TO SECURE


HIS SELF-INTEREST. WORKERS NORMALLY TRY TO SQUEEZE
MORE AND MORE MONEY FOR LESS EFFORT

 EVERY INDIVIDUAL THINKS LOGICALLY, TO THE BEST OF HIS


ABILITY, IN THE SERVICE OF THIS AIM. THIS IS WHY THE BEST
INCENTIVE TO INDUCE WORKERS TO WORK HARDER, IS MONEY.

5
THE FINDINGS OF THE STUDY WERE:

1. EACH INDIVIDUAL RESTRICTED OUTPUT


2. THE GROUP HAD ITS OWN “UNOFFICIAL”
STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE
3. INDIVIDUAL OUTPUT REMAINED FAIRLY
CONSISTENT OVER A PERIOD OR TIME
4. INFORMAL GROUPS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE
IN THE WORKING OF AN ORGANIZATION

6
SOME OF THE FINDINGS FROM THE
HAWTHORNE EXPERIMENTS ARE
INTERESTING TO NOTE AND MAKE
IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE
FIELD OF BEHAVIOURAL SCIENCES

7
1
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED WAS THAT SIX
INDIVIDUALS BECAME A TEAM AND THE TEAM
GAVE ITSELF WHOLEHEARTEDLY AND
SPONTANEOUSLY TO COOPERATION IN THE
EXPERIMENT.

THE CONSEQUENCE WAS THAT THEY FELT


THEMSELVES TO BE PARTICIPATING FREELY AND
WITHOUT AFTERTHOUGHT, AND WERE HAPPY
THAT THEY WERE WORKING WITHOUT COERCION
FROM ABOVE OR LIMITATION FROM BELOW.
8
2
....PROBLEMS OF ABSENTEEISM, LABOUR
TURNOVER, ‘WILDCAT’ STRIKES, SHOW
THAT WE DO NOT KNOW HOW TO ENSURE
SPONTANEITY OF COOPERATION; THAT IS,
TEAMWORK. THEREFORE, COLLA-
BORATION IN AN INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY
CANNOT BE LEFT TO CHANCE...

9
3
....THE WORKING GROUP AS A WHOLE
ACTUALLY DETERMINED THE OUTPUT OF
INDIVIDUAL WORKERS BY REFERENCE TO A
STANDARD, PREDETERMINED BUT NEVER
CLEARLY STATED, THAT REPRESENTED THE
GROUP CONCEPTION (RATHER THAN
MANAGEMENT’S) OF A FAIR DAY’S WORK.
THIS STANDARD WAS RARELY, IF EVER, IN
ACCORD WITH THE STANDARDS OF THE
EFFICIENCY ENGINEERS (MAYO, 1945, P. 79).
10
4
AUTHORITY …IN ACTUAL EXERCISE DEMANDS A CAPACITY FOR
VISION AND WISE GUIDANCE THAT MUST BE RE-ACHIEVED DAILY:

SINCE THE COOPERATION OF OTHERS IS A VITAL ELEMENT IN IT,


SOCIAL UNDER-STANDING AND SOCIAL SKILLS ARE INVOLVED
EQUALLY WITH TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE AND CAPACITY.

...WE DO NOTHING WHATEVER TO DEVELOP SOCIAL INSIGHT OR TO


IMPART SOCIAL SKILL. INDEED, WE PROVIDE AN EDUCATION THAT
OPERATES TO HINDER THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUCH SKILLS.

AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC, BUSINESS LEADERS, AND POLITICIANS


ARE LEFT WITH THE IMPLICATION THAT MANKIND IS AN
UNORGANIZED RABBLE UPON WHICH ORDER MUST BE IMPOSED
(MAYO, 1945, P.50).
11
5
MAN’S DESIRE TO BE CONTINUOUSLY
ASSOCIATED IN WORK WITH HIS FELLOWS
IS A STRONG, IF NOT THE STRONGEST,
HUMAN CHARACTERISTIC.

ANY DISREGARD OF IT BY MANAGEMENT


OR ANY ILL-ADVISED ATTEMPT TO DEFEAT
THIS HUMAN IMPULSE LEADS INSTANTLY
TO SOME FORM OF DEFEAT FOR
MANAGEMENT ITSELF. 12

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