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2.elton Mayo Theory2

The Hawthorne studies conducted in the 1920s and 1930s sought to understand how physical factors like lighting impacted productivity. Researchers found productivity increased even when conditions worsened, known as the Hawthorne effect. Later studies focused on worker attitudes through interviews. It was discovered that small group dynamics significantly influenced individual worker behavior, not just physical conditions. The experiments highlighted that workers are motivated by social factors beyond just economic needs, and that understanding group psychology is important for management.

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76 views7 pages

2.elton Mayo Theory2

The Hawthorne studies conducted in the 1920s and 1930s sought to understand how physical factors like lighting impacted productivity. Researchers found productivity increased even when conditions worsened, known as the Hawthorne effect. Later studies focused on worker attitudes through interviews. It was discovered that small group dynamics significantly influenced individual worker behavior, not just physical conditions. The experiments highlighted that workers are motivated by social factors beyond just economic needs, and that understanding group psychology is important for management.

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Elton Mayo Theory

Hawthorne effect
• The Hawthorne effect occurs when people behave differently
because they know they are being watched.
• The Hawthorne effect refers to a tendency in some
individuals to alter their behavior in response to their
awareness of being observed.
• This phenomenon implies that when people become aware
that they are subjects in an experiment, the attention they
receive from the experimenters may cause them to change
their conduct.
Elton Mayo : Hawthorne Studies
The ground-breaking Hawthorne studies carried out in the
Hawthorne plant of the Western Electric Company (USA)
1927 - 32.
Stage 1 (1924 -27)
Study of the physical surroundings (lighting level) on productivity
of workers. Control group and experimental group previously had
similar productivity before study began.
Control Group = constant lighting level
Experimental Group = varied lighting level
Result
Both groups productivity increased - even when experimental
group was working in dim light.
Product leader called Mayo and colleagues to explain the results.
Stage 2 (1927 - 29) 'Relay assembly room stage'
Still analysing effect of physical surroundings (rest,
pauses, lunch break duration, length of working week) on
output.

Result
Output increased even when worsening conditions
Assumption was now that it was the attitude of subjects
at work and not the physical conditions. This gave rise
to the 'Hawthorne Effect' - employees were responding
not so much to changes in the environment as to the fact
they were the centre of attention - a special group.
Stage 3
• During the course of experiments, about 20,000 interviews were
conducted between 1928 and 1930 to determine employees’
attitudes towards company, supervision, insurance plans,
promotion and wages. Initially, these interviews were conducted by
means of direct questioning such as “do you like your supervisor?”
or “is he in your opinion fair or does he have favorites?” etc.
• This method has disadvantage of stimulating antagonism (active hostility
or opposition) or the oversimplified ‘yes’ or ‘no’ responses which could
not get to the root of the problem, the method was changed to non-
directive interviewing where interviewer was asked to listen
to instead of talking, arguing or advising. The interview
programme gave valuable insights about the human behaviour in the
company.
Conclusion
• During the course of interviews, it was discovered that
workers’ behaviour was being influenced by group
behaviour. However, this conclusion was not very
satisfactory and, therefore, researches decided to
conduct another series of experiments. As such, the
detailed study of a shop situation was started to find out the
behaviour of workers in small groups.
Stage 4 (1932) Bank Wiring Observation Room Experiment
These experiments were conducted to find out the impact of small groups on the individuals. In
this experiment, a group of 14 male workers were formed into a small work group. The men
were engaged in the assembly of terminal banks for the use in telephone exchanges.

The work involved attaching wire with switches for certain equipment used in telephone
exchanges. Hourly wage for each worker was fixed on the basis of average output of each
worker. Bonus as also payable on the basis of group effort.

It was expected that highly efficient workers would bring pressure on less efficient workers
to increase output and take advantage of group incentive plan. However, the strategy did not
work and workers established their own standard of output and this was enforced vigorously by
various methods of social pressure. The workers cited various reasons for this behaviour viz.
fear of unemployment, fear of increase in output, desire to protect slow workers etc.

The Hawthorne experiments clearly showed that a man at work is motivated by more than
the satisfaction of economic needs. Management should recognise that people are essentially
social beings and not merely economic beings. As a social being, they are members of a group
and the management should try to understand group attitudes and group psychology.

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