Elton Mayo, an Australian psychologist, conducted a series of experiments at the Hawthorne Works, a factory owned by Western Electric near Chicago during the 1920s and 1930s. These experiments, commonly known as the Hawthorne Studies, aimed to investigate the relationship between working conditions and worker productivity and morale.
During the first phase of the experiment, which took place between 1924 and 1927, Mayo and his team focused on lighting conditions in the factory. The researchers sought to determine how different lighting conditions affected worker productivity. Surprisingly, productivity increased whether the lighting was improved or worsened, leading Mayo to believe that other factors were responsible for the increase.
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In the second phase of the experiment, conducted from 1927 to 1932, Mayo and his colleagues examined other variables that could influence worker productivity, such as the length of the workday and rest breaks. The researchers found that productivity increased regardless of whether these conditions were improved or worsened. This led Mayo to conclude that social and psychological factors also played a crucial role in determining worker productivity, in addition to physical working conditions.
In the final phase of the experiment, conducted in 1932, Mayo introduced a group incentive program that offered a bonus to workers who met certain production targets. Interestingly, the researchers found that the increase in productivity was not due to the incentive program itself but rather to the increased social interaction and cohesion among workers that resulted from the program.
Overall, the Hawthorne Studies had a significant impact on the field of industrial psychology and management theory. They demonstrated that physical working conditions alone were not the sole determinants of worker productivity, but social and psychological factors such as worker attitudes, group norms, and interpersonal relationships also played a critical role. The Hawthorne Studies were instrumental in shaping the human relations theory, which underscored the significance of acknowledging and addressing the psychological and social requirements of employees by management to improve productivity and job contentment.