Elton Mayo’s Study on Employee Motivation and Work Productivity Developed by: Shakti Singh Sidhu

Definition of the Hawthorne Studies Experiment that Mayo conducted ResultsConclusions Brainstorming: How this can be used in organizations What Will Be Covered sidhu

Explanation of the topic How it works in the field Real World Example Summary What Will Be Covered Cont. sidhu

 “The Hawthorne Studies were conducted from at the Western Electric Hawthorne Works in Chicago.  Where Harvard Business School Professor Elton Mayo examined productivity and work conditions.” Definition of Hawthorne Studies sidhu

 “Mayo wanted to find out what effect fatigue and monotony had on job productivity and how to control them through such variables as rest breaks, work hours, temperatures and humidity.” sidhu Definition of Hawthorne Studies Cont.

 Five women assembled telephone relays, one supplied the parts.  Made frequent changes in working conditions with their consent.  Records were kept of relays made, temperature and humidity of rooms, medical and personal histories, eating and sleeping habits, and bits of conversation on the job.  No one supervised the girls.  They were told to work as they felt and at a comfortable pace. Mayo’s Experiment sidhu

 Productive capacity was measured by recording the girls’ output for two weeks before the study began.  First five weeks, no changes were made.  Third stage, a pay system was ensured allowing the girls’ to earn in proportion to their efforts.  Eight weeks later, two five-minute rest pauses were added. Mayo’s Experiment Cont. sidhu

 Eighth phase, workday ended a half-day early.  Ninth phase, the girls finished an hour earlier than usual.  Five-day week introduced.  Girls went back to no breaks, lunches and a full work week, output declined for those twelve weeks. Mayo’s Experiment Cont. sidhu

 Researchers found that output rates weren’t directly related to the physical conditions of the work.  Output went up when: ◦ They were put on piece-work for eight weeks. ◦ Two five minute rest pauses were introduced for five weeks. ◦ Rest pauses were lengthened to ten minutes. ◦ A hot meal was supplied during first pause. ◦ They were dismissed at 4:30 p.m. instead of 5:00 p.m. Results sidhu

 Output slightly fell when six to five minute pauses were added.  It remained the same when they were dismissed at 4:00 p.m. instead of 4:30 p.m.  Mayo believes “what actually happened was that six individuals became a team and the team gave itself wholeheartedly and spontaneously to co-operation in the experiment. The consequence was that they felt themselves to be participating freely and without afterthought, and were happy in the knowledge that they were working without pressure from above or limitations from below.” sidhu Results Cont.

 Work is a group activity.  Social world for an adult is primarily patterned about work.  Need for recognition, security and sense of belonging.  Complaints, commonly a symptom manifesting disturbance of an individual’s status position. Conclusions sidhu

 Attitudes and effectiveness are conditioned by social demands.  Informal groups at work are strong social controls over the work habits and attitudes of a worker.  Change from established society to adaptive society.  Group collaboration. Conclusions Cont. sidhu

 Co-operation and communication with coworkers.  Rearrange/reorganize job functions.  Create an atmosphere of working as a team. Brainstorming: How this can be used in organizations sidhu

 Interviewing ◦ Provide insight to workers moral, their likes and dislikes and how they felt about their bosses. Explanation of the Topic sidhu

 Role of Supervisor ◦ Retained the responsibility of making sure that their workers reached production levels, should lead their workers. Explanation of Topic Cont. sidhu

 Management ◦ Need to gain active support and participation from workers, while maintaining managerial control. ◦ Be patient with workers, listen to them, and avoid creating emotional upsets. Explanation of Topic Cont. sidhu

 Teamwork ◦ Cooperation, communication, sense of belonging. ◦ “Man’s desire to be continuously associated in work with his fellows is a strong, if not the strongest, human characteristic. sidhu Explanation of Topic Cont.

 Aspects of Hawthorne Studies ◦ Workers ◦ Management ◦ Motivation ◦ Productivity How it Works in the Field sidhu

 Workers ◦ Insights, suggestions, likes and dislikes, moral, training.  Management ◦ Transfer of power to workers, knowing their workers. How it Works in the Field Cont. sidhu

 Motivation ◦ Incentives to increase productivity and quality.  Productivity ◦ By increasing the output rate and keeping costs down, the company will be able to increase profits. How it Works in the Field Cont. sidhu

 Swedish Case ◦ Pay system didn’t fit the structure of jobs and organization. ◦ Two years later an incentive system was added, productivity went up 45%. Real World Example sidhu

 Hawthorne Studies dealing with worker motivation and work productivity.  Increase communication and cooperation among coworkers. sidhu

 Motivation can cause an increase in productivity  Involve employees in decision making.  Create a sense of belonging by creating teams. sidhu