Universität Kassel – Abteilung Kommunikation und Internationales Topic Names Date

Hawthorne Studies (Elton Mayo) What? A series of experiments on factory workers When? 1924 – 1932 Where? Hawthorne Works(Illinois, US) of Western Electric Company, manufacturing arm of AT&T

Hawthorne Studies (Elton Mayo) Who?Industrial engineers 1927 Harvard Prof. Elton Mayo Why?Initially: Examine Effect of various lighting levels on worker productivity Changed to: Study the factors, which influence workers’ behavior

Important Experiments Illumination Experiment:  Lighting intensity NOT directly related with productivity, something else does

Important Experiments Relay assembly Experiment:  Choosing own coworkers, working as a group, being treated special.  Individuals became a team and the team gave itself wholeheartedly and spontaneously to cooperation in the experiment.

Important Experiments Bank wiring room Experiment:  Existence of informal groups or “cliques”  Workers more responsive to their peer group than to the control and incentives of management.

Elton Mayo Summary of Mayo’s believes:  Individual workers must be seen as members of a group  Monetary incentives & good working conditions are less important to the individual than the need to belong to a group.  Informal or unofficial groups formed at work have a strong influence on the behavior of those workers in a group.  Managers must be aware of these 'social needs' and cater for them to ensure that employees collaborate with the official organization rather than work against it.  Mayo's simple instructions to industrial interviewers set a template and remain influential to this day:

Criticism Relay assembly Experiment:  Choosing own coworkers, working as a group, being treated special.  Individuals became a team and the team gave itself wholeheartedly and spontaneously to cooperation in the experiment.