Elton Mayo 1880 – 1949

Preview Introduction to Mayo Early life ( ) Academic Career in Australia ( ) The Wonderful Opportunity ( ) Fame and Fortune ( ) War and Retirement ( ) Mayo Mystique

Introduction One of the most celebrated social scientists of the age (legacy p221) Internationally acclaimed (legacy p223) Experiments provided new scientific foundations for management (leg 223) Skilled and charming lecturer (225)

Statement by Fortune Magazine 1946 Scientist and practical clinician, Mayo speaks with a rare authority that has commanded attention in factories as well as Universities. His erudition extends through psychology, sociology, physiology, medicine and economics, and his experience comes from a lifelong first –hand study of industry.

Early Life Childhood and family life Influences of his family –Father – financial –Mother – work ethic –Siblings – medical careers Turning point – London Working Men’s College

Academic Career in Australia Influence of Professor William Mitchell Marriage and Children Moves and Career changes New approach to industrial conflict (legacy p231 middle) Influence of anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski

The Wonderful Opportunity Move to the United States Right place at the right time Partnership with Beardsley Ruml of Rockefeller Foundation Model of Labor Turnover (legacy 234) Friendship with L.J. Henderson (235)

Wonderful Opportunity Cont. Hawthorne Studies ( ) –Hawthorne Plant of Western Electric Company Most famous part of the research –Six female employees – separate room –Expectation: production would vary in predictable ways Example: More hours, fewer breaks would increase fatigue and lower production

Surprise at Hawthorne Amazed researchers –No matter what they did, production went up! Mayo’s conclusion –Changes in production were not attributed to changes in conditions –Instead attributed to: –Employees treated as special people –Involved in decisions –Improved morale

Hawthorne Effect The mere act of showing people you are concerned about them spurs them to better performance Widely used even today

Results from Hawthorne Studies Discovery that workplaces are social environments Within workplaces, people are motivated by much more than economic self interest All aspects of industrial environment carry social value Impact on Management Theory –Represent the beginning of the human relations movement in the study of management

Criticisms of Mayo and the Hawthorne Studies Dispute about Mayo’s role in the Hawthorne Studies Rejected as outmoded and simplistic Argued that Mayo simply put together and applied existing Sociological theories and applied them to research

Criticisms, Cont. Borrowed concepts from Emile Durkheim –Founder of the French school of sociology Mayo’s grasp of Durkheim’s work was poor –Only read one of hundreds of works by Durkheim –Read the original one work in French with a poor grasp of French

Fame and Fortune Peculiar Family Life Most notable contributions to management theory emerge Rockefeller Foundation Funding

War and Retirement Personal and family crises Works published –The Social Problems of an Industrial Civilization (1945) –Introduction to the Second Edition, The Human Problems of an Industrial Civilization (1946) –The Political Problems of an Industrial Civilization (1947) –Notes on the Psychology of Pierre Janet (1948)

The Mayo Mystique His work and findings Major criticisms of his work Major contributions to management theory