What the Hawthorne Experiments showed
Conclusion
The Hawthorne Experiment's led Mayo to conclude that-
- productivity was increased in line with work satisfaction which depends on the organically formed informal social patterns of the workers.
- Workers were more productive when they felt important and that their input was valued.
- Actual work conditions and monetary rewards do not increase motivation and productivity.
- Workers naturally form Groups within the workforce and these can have a powerful effect on motivation.
- Workers became de-motivated when the work was repetitive and boring.
In conclusion; In Mayo's Management style there is less focus on process and using an Autocratic style and a definate emphasis on involving workers in the decision making process- even if the end result is not altered by their in put.
Elton Mayo's Theory will alter Management styles by focussing more on the social aspects of the work environment, seeing the workers as individual people, yet looking at the psychology of their behaviours in groups in order to be able to find motivational techniques to increase their productivity and retain their interest rather than treating them as cogs in a machine or stages in a process.
Content
References
- http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/2091087?uid=3738032&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&sid=21102888091581
- http://vectorstudy.com/management-gurus/elton-mayo
- Casey, C. 2002. 'Critical Analysis of Organizations- Theory, Practice, Revitalization.' London. Sage Publications, London.
- Bell, D. 1947. 'Adjusting Men to Machines: Social Scientists Explore the World of the Factory' Commentary 3: 79-88.
- Brick, H. 1986. 'Daniel Bell and the Decline of Intellectual Radicalism-Social Theory and Political reconcilliation in the 1940's.' Wisconsin: USA, University of Wisconsin Press.
The Hawthorne Theory
How the Hawthorne Theory affects Management Styles- A Manager using Mayo's theory would-
- Mayo concluded that worker's performance is dependent on a combination of both social issues and job content.
- He suggested that 'a tension between workers' 'logic of sentiment' and managers' 'logic of cost and efficiency' could lead to conflict within organisations.'
- He believed that in order to acheive maximum worker satisfaction and productivity the management must use the workers team formation and need to feel important to their advantage.
- In order to maintain motivation the work must be made non repetitive and workers switched to different areas of production/ tasks.
- Favour a more democratic or paternalistic Management style in which workers are involved in the decision making processes when appropriate
- Place importance on using the workers natural group formations to work For the company rather than against them by offering group rewards and encouraging teamwork.
- Recognise that workers will not be motivated by monetary gain alone and develop a culture where productivity is rewarded in other ways.
- Develop training and progression for workers to motivate them and vary work to maintain their interest
- Who is Elton Mayo?
- What is his Theory 'The Hawthorne Effect'?
- The Research basis for his Theory
- How the Hawthorne Effect affects Management styles
- Mayo's Theory in Practice- Tesco Case Study
- Criticisms of The Hawthorne Theory
- Conclusion
- References
For Mayo's Theory
Elton Mayo's Management
Theory
How using Mayo's Theory may affect Performance of Staff
Elton Mayo
Elton Mayo was was an Australian psychologist, sociologist and Organisational Theorist.
The Hawthorne Experiments
Tesco Case Study-
The experiments were named after the Hawthorne Works -a Western Electric factory outside Chicago, where they were conducted.
He was professor of industrial research at Harvard Business School (1926 - 1947)
His works include-
- The Social Problems of an Industrial Civilization
- The Human Problems of an Industrial Civilization
- The main research he used was from the Hawthorne Experiments
- Mayo's theory surpassed the current scientific Management theories of the day which focussed on process,productivity and output in a machine driven manner rather than looking at the workers from a social and human level.
- It are proven to work and is widely used in real world contexts by companies as in the case study.
- Regardless of the theory that his research methods were flawed, the theory still works in practice
Companies like Tesco use Mayo's Hawthorne Theory to motivate their staff and increase productivity. In the Case Study handout you can see that Tesco have developed a plan including-
- Communication
- Motivation
- On going Training and Development
- Personal Development
This encourages staff to staff feel valued, have input on their own development and career progression, and therefore motivate them to perform.
Problems with Mayo's Theory
There have been several criticisms of Mayo's contributions to management theory.
The Hawthorne Experiments have been criticised when the results were published as the experiments themselves were conducted by two employees of Mayo's and not himself.
1. The members of the groups whose behaviour has been studied were allowed to choose themselves.
2. Two women have been replaced since they were chatting during their work. They were later identified as members of a leftist movement.
3. One Italian member was working above average since she had to care for her family alone. Thus she affected the group's performance in an above average way.
In 2003, James Hoopes criticized Mayo for "substituting therapy for democracy."
In 1947 renound sociologist Daniel Bell said that Mayo and other industrial sociologists were "adjusting men to machines," rather than enlarging human capacity or human freedom.
Stephen R. G. Jones re- analysed his data and criticised Mayo's work to the point of questioning its validity as a concept in his work 'Was There a Hawthorne Effect?' (The American Journal of Sociology, 1998)