Question

Describe in Detail the Hawthorne studies and their contribution to management practices.

Answer 1

In the late 1920s, managers at Hawthorne Works - a large manufacturer operating in Illinois - asked themselves this question: Are our employees more productive in a well-lit environment than they are in a poorly-lit environment? This was really the beginning of the quality revolution in American business, and questions that now seem simple to us now had to be answered.

To answer their question, managers at Hawthorne Works hired some consultants and commissioned a study. Their findings are probably what you would expect. Well-lit lighting increased productivity, as did a few other variables, such as having a clean workstation, allowing employees to build and work in teams, and having regular breaks.

Through Hawthorne experiments, mayo discovered the fundamental concept which seems obvious in today's behavioral management theories. "Workplaces are social environments and within them, people are motivated by much more than economic

self-interest" (Human Relations Contributors, 2012) hence, the following theories were applied:

a. Based on psychological contrast were an unwritten understanding between the worker and employer of what is expected of from them exists.

b. Theory states that a worker's motivation can be enhanced by applying an interest in them as Mayo did through his experiments.

c. Team work is the third theory, were worker's motivation could be increased through it as it allows people to form strong working relationships and increases trust between the workers. Work groups are created formally by the employer but also occur informally as characters are attracted to each other.

d. Concerns the Social aspect of work which workers are motivated through it, as demonstrated by the test group socialising during work and the subsequent increase in motivation.

e. Recognition of workers also induces motivation, security and a sense of belonging.

f. The communication between workers and management. This influences workers morale and productivity. Motivation is enhanced through a good working relationship with management.

The Hawthorne effect is a physiological phenomenon that produces an improvement in human behavior or performance as a result of increased attention of superiors and colleagues. As a combined effort, the effect can enhance results by creating sense of teamwork and a common purpose. By time, the Hawthorne theory evolved within the management and organization sector. Having illumination as the basis of the Hawthorne effect, "People will be more productive when appreciated"