Human Relations Movement : The

Hawthorne Experiments

Hawthorne Plant of Western Electric Company

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Illumination Studies Objective – To study the effects of

lighting on the productivity of workers.

Location – Department of relay making at Hawthorne plant near Chicago

Year - 1924

Control Group Test Group

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

Elton Mayo Prof. of Industrial research dept. at Harvard University

Experiment No. 2

The relay assembly room experiment

Varying rest periods

Short work days/weeks

Financial incentives

Fixed rest periods

Fixed work days/weeks No financial incentives

Test Group Control Group

Mon

th 1

Mon

th 2

Mon

th 3

Month 1

Month 2

Month 3

Hawthorne Effect

The possibility that workers who receive special attention will perform better simply because they received that attention.

Experiment No. 3

The bank wiring observation room experiment

• Bank Wiring room

• 14 males

• 7 months observation

period

Payment on the basisof individual’s efficiency

Payment on the basisof group’s output

Increased Output(expected)

Restricted Output(actual)

= 3 equipments V/s= 2 equipments

Formation of an informal group

Employees

Group’s own standard of output

Fear of social ostracism & ridicule

More important

Less important

Implications of Hawthorne Experiments

Hawthorne effect

Effect of informal work groups

Human relations movement

Human relations describe the ways in which managers interactwith their employees

Behavioral school

A group of management scholars trained in sociology, psychology And related fields, who use their diverse knowledge to propose more effective ways to manage people in organization.

Criticism of Hawthorne experiments

1. The methodology and the statistical tools used were :- - Flawed - had limitations 2. Generalization of the results of the study beyond those Individuals’ studies.

Thank you all for the patient listening