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    The Hawthorne Studies

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    Arti Marcelin
    The Hawthorne Studies conducted experiments in the 1920s at a Western Electric plant to examine the relationship between workplace conditions and employee productivity. The illumination studies found that productivity increased even when light levels were reduced significantly, indicating that something other than illumination was impacting productivity. Similar results occurred in relay room and bank wiring room studies, where productivity increased regardless of changes to variables like work hours and payment methods. The Hawthorne Studies demonstrated that social and psychological factors in the workplace, like feelings of being part of a small group or receiving special attention, known as the Hawthorne Effect, could significantly influence employee motivation and productivity.

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    The Hawthorne Studies

    Uploaded by

    Arti Marcelin
    309 views7 pages
    The Hawthorne Studies conducted experiments in the 1920s at a Western Electric plant to examine the relationship between workplace conditions and employee productivity. The illumination studies found that productivity increased even when light levels were reduced significantly, indicating that something other than illumination was impacting productivity. Similar results occurred in relay room and bank wiring room studies, where productivity increased regardless of changes to variables like work hours and payment methods. The Hawthorne Studies demonstrated that social and psychological factors in the workplace, like feelings of being part of a small group or receiving special attention, known as the Hawthorne Effect, could significantly influence employee motivation and productivity.

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    Organizational dynamics

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    The Hawthorne Studies conducted experiments in the 1920s at a Western Electric plant to examine the relationship between workplace conditions and employee productivity. The illumination studies found that productivity increased even when light levels were reduced significantly, indicating that something other than illumination was impacting productivity. Similar results occurred in relay room and bank wiring room studies, where productivity increased regardless of changes to variables like work hours and payment methods. The Hawthorne Studies demonstrated that social and psychological factors in the workplace, like feelings of being part of a small group or receiving special attention, known as the Hawthorne Effect, could significantly influence employee motivation and productivity.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    309 views7 pages

    The Hawthorne Studies

    Uploaded by

    Arti Marcelin
    The Hawthorne Studies conducted experiments in the 1920s at a Western Electric plant to examine the relationship between workplace conditions and employee productivity. The illumination studies found that productivity increased even when light levels were reduced significantly, indicating that something other than illumination was impacting productivity. Similar results occurred in relay room and bank wiring room studies, where productivity increased regardless of changes to variables like work hours and payment methods. The Hawthorne Studies demonstrated that social and psychological factors in the workplace, like feelings of being part of a small group or receiving special attention, known as the Hawthorne Effect, could significantly influence employee motivation and productivity.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    of 7

    The Hawthorne Studies

    The Illumination studies


    Were conducted in 1924, at the Hawthorne Works of
    the Western Electric Company, near Chicago
    Attempted to examine the relationship between light
    intensity on the shop floor of manual work sites, and
    employee productivity
    Initially there was no change in productivity with
    change in illumination
    Subsequently, productivity increased even when
    illumination was brought down to moonlight intensity
    Something besides the level of illumination was
    causing the change in productivity
    The Hawthorne Studies (contd.)
    The Relay Room study
    Operators assembled switches in the relay
    room
    The study tried to test specific variables such
    as length of workday, rest breaks, and method
    of payment
    Similar to the illumination studies, productivity
    increased irrespective of the conditions of the
    experiment
    Something other than the conditions of work
    was causing the increase in productivity
    The Hawthorne Studies (contd.)
    The Bank Wiring Room study
    As in the relay room the bank wirers were
    placed in a separate test room
    Unlike the relay room experiments, the bank
    wiring room study involved no experimental
    changes once the study had started
    Instead, an observer and an interviewer
    gathered objective data
    The departments regular supervisors were
    used in the bank wiring room, to maintain
    order and control just as on the shop floor
    The Bank Wiring Room study
    (contd.)
    The results were exactly opposite to those of
    the relay room experiments
    Productivity did not continually increase; On
    the other hand, output was restricted by
    social pressure
    Social ostracism was more effective in gaining
    compliance with the informal group norm
    than money or security were in attaining the
    scientifically derived management norm

    Implications of the Hawthorne Studies
    All the operators of the relay room reported that they
    felt better in the test room; there was a unanimous
    preference for working in the test room instead of the
    regular department
    The reasons given for this preference were:
    1. Small group
    2. Type of supervision
    3. Earnings
    4. Novelty of the situation
    5. Interest in the experiment
    6. Attention received in the test room
    The last three areas are usually associated with the
    famous Hawthorne Effect
    The Hawthorne Effect
    Many social scientists imply that the increases in
    relay room productivity can be attributed solely
    to the fact that the participants in the study were
    given special attention and that they were
    enjoying a novel, interesting experience
    This is labelled the Hawthorne Effect

    The focus of OB
    However, the important variables of the small
    group, type of supervision, and earnings cannot
    be ignored
    The modern approach to OB is thus differentiated
    from the old Human Relations approach by
    variables such as experimental design, group
    dynamics, leadership and supervision styles,
    rewards, and much more
    OB represents the behavioral approach to
    management

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