Discussion

1.Who is George Elton Mayo

2. Life, Credentials.
3.What is his greatest contribution in Human relations Approach
4.Authored Books
5.Hawthorne Studies

GEORGE ELTON MAYO

Life, Credentials, and Major Contributions
In Human Resource Approach

Who is George Elton Mayo?

George Elton Mayo 1880 1949

- was an Australian born psychologist
- Industrial researcher
- Organizational theorist
- He was known as the Founder of Human Relations Movement
- He was known as Management guru for his research.
- Authored book Human Problems an Industrial Civilizations
in 1933.
- Leader of the Hawthorne Studies
- WWII contributed to the Training within Industry program
for training supervisors
He lectured at the University of Queensland from 1919
to 1923 and spent most of his career at Harvard Business School
where he was a professor of Industrial research.

George Elton Mayo

CREDENTIALS:
Mayo has been credited with making significant
contributions to a number of disciplines including;

Business Management
Industrial sociology
Philosophy
and Social Psychology

His field research in industry had made a significant impact

on Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
Mayo's work helped to lay the foundation for the human
relations movement. He emphasized that alongside the formal
organization of an industrial workplace there exists an informal
organizational structure.

George Elton Mayo

Mayo recognized the inappropriate

of existing SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT
approaches to Industrial Organization,
underlining the importance of relationship
among people who work for such
organization.

EARLY RESEARCH / CONTRIBUTIONS

The mill had been experiencing a high rate of turnover

PHILADELPHIA TEXTILE MILL

One of Mayo's (1924) earliest research

efforts involved workers at a Philadelphia textile mill.
The mill had been experiencing a high rate of
turnover. Mayo believed that the repetitive work in
the spinning department gave rise to mental
abnormalities in the workers.
He found that the introduction of rest periods
helped reduce turnover. This research helped make
George Elton Mayo more widely known in the U.S

He also stated that internal and external factors may motivate a

person to change or develop their actions.
Ex.
Internal Factors - a person might desire to learn a new skill. This would
reward the individual.
External Factors - sales target and incentives.

AUTHORED BOOKS BY ELTON MAYO

HUMAN RELATIONS APPROACH THAT FOCUSES ON THE

PROBLEM OF INDIVIDUAL, PERSONAL PROBLEMS
RELATING TO SATISFACTION AND DISSATISFACTION OF A
PERSON IN A WORKFORCE

HUMAN RELATIONS APPROACH THAT FOCUSES ON INTERNAL

AND EXTERNAL FACTORS IN SOCIETY
RELATING TO SATISFACTION AND DISSATISFACTION OF A
PERSON IN A WORKFORCE

Major contribution in Human Relations Approach

Theorist Elton Mayo suggested that motivation at work
was promoted such as;

greater communication
good teamwork
showing interest to others
involving others in decision making
ensuring the well being of others
ensuring work is interesting and non-repetitive

 Hawthorne Experiments
The Mayo Effect

 Hawthorne Experiments
Aerial view of the Hawthorne Works

THE HAWTHORNE STUDIES

1. Illumination Experiment (1924-1927)
Purpose of the Study:
To measure the effect of various lighting conditions on the workers
Productivity. Experiment divided workers in to 2 groups
Hypothesis: Higher illumination, productivity would increase.
Group 1 Lighting condition improved and the productivity went up.
Group 2 Lightning condition remained constant and the productivity increased.
Result: Measured Light Intensity vs. Worker Output
Researcher rejected the hypothesis.
Higher worker productivity and satisfaction at all light levels.
(output showed upward trend even when illumination was gradually brought down to normal level)

worker productivity was stopped with the light levels reached moonlight
intensity
Conclusions:
1. light intensity has no conclusive effect in outpput
2. believe that productivity has a psychological component
3. concept of Hawthorne Effect was created

Illumination Experiment (1924-1927)

Relay Assembly Test Experiments (1924-1927)

Experimenters chose two

women as test subjects and asked
them to choose four other workers
to join the test group. Together the
women worked in a separate room
over the course of five years (1927
1932) assembling telephone relays.

Output was measured mechanically by counting how many finished relays each
worker dropped down a chute. This measuring began in secret two weeks before moving
the women to an experiment room and continued throughout the study.

THE HAWTHORNE STUDIES

2. Relay Assembly Test Experiments (1924-1927)

Manipulated factors of production to measure effect of output.

- Pay Incentives
Under Normal conditions, w/ 48 H/wk, including
- Length of Work day & Work week
Sat, and no Breaks, output produce 2,400 relays a
week each
- Use of Rest Periods
- Company Sponsored Meals.
Experiments started and constituted to a homogenous work group of 6 girls.
1. Two 5 min. rest pauses, AM & PM were introduce for a period of weeks. Output went up once more.
2. Rest pauses were lengthened to 10 min. each. Productivity went up sharply.
3. Then the 2 rest pauses were reinstated, 1st w/ hotmeal supplied by the company free of charge. Productivity
4. Six 5 min. pauses were introduced and complained raises that work rhythm was broken by the frequent pauses.
Output fell slightly.
5. Change in working hours (instead of 5:00PM , 4:30PM then later 4:00PM) output increases
** then all improvements were taken away and went back to the same conditions that they had at\
Beginning of the experiment w/ no rest pauses, 48H/wk, no piece work
Conclusions:
* Workers output increased as a response to attention, feeling of being, importance, attention, cohesive
Group work, and non-directive supervision.
* Strong social bonds were created within the test group. Workers influenced by the need for recognition,
security sense of belonging.

THE HAWTHORNE STUDIES

3. Mass Interview Program / Experiment ( 1928-1930)
1. Conducted 21,000 interviews
2. Mainly the objective was to explore information w/c could be used to improve
supervisory training.
3. Initially used the method of Direct questioning and changed to non-directive.
4. find out more about how employees felt about their supervisors and working.
5. This is were interviewer were simply listening to what a workmen say

Result:

Test/interview showed that they liked talking about their family and social
issues beyond issue of work conditions and supervision. Workers were governed
by their experience obtained from both inside and outside the company. It was found
that merely giving a worker an opportunity to talk and express grievances would
Increase the morale.
Conclusion:
The findings confirmed that social organization of the company represents
a system of value s from w/c the importance of social factor of worker derives
satisfaction or dissatisfaction.

THE HAWTHORNE STUDIES

3. Mass Interview Program / Experiment ( 1925-1932)

1925-1927 Objective Questions

1928-1932 Conversational / Non-directive

Result Remarkable positive employee perceptions:

Conclusions:

Work Conditions
Work Relationships
Yes/No Answers

Attentive Sympathetic Listening

Concern for personal needs
Increased in time from 30-90 minutes

Working Condition Improved (no real changes)

Better Wages (no real changes)

New Supervisory Style improved worker morale

Complaints reflected personal and/or social barriers that needed attention in order to
raise productivity

THE HAWTHORNE STUDIES

4.Bank Wiring Observation Group ( 1931-1932)

14 Male Workers
consist of 9 wiremen, 3 soldermen, 2 inspector..
Few Special Conditions

Segregated work area

No Management Visits
Supervision would remain the same
Observer would record data only no interaction with workers

New incentive pay rate was established for the small group
Any increases in output would be included in departmental pay incentives
Result No appreciable changes in output. Output was lower than expected than what
company had determined.
REASON FOR THE OUTPUT:
* fear of unemployment
* fear of raising the standard
* protection of slower worker
* satisfaction on the part of the management
CONCLUSIONS:
Well established performance norms existed in the group
Informal social organizations protect workers from managers who
Raise production standards
Cut pay rates
Challenge workplace norms

HIGHLIGHTS OF HAWTHORNE EXPERIMENTS

No direct relationship between worker productivity and physical factors
Worker can be motivated by psychological and social feelings, emotions and attitudes. Thus, economic incentives are
not the only method to motivate people.
Work is considered as a group activity and not as an operation performed by an individual worker.
Human social and social factors result in the overall growth and development of the human resource.

CRITICISMS OF MAYO AND THE HAWTHORNE STUDIES

Dispute about Mayos 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.
Borrowed concepts from Emile Durkheim
Founder of the French school of sociology

IMPACT:

Elton Mayo Studies

Mans desire to be continuously associated in work with his fellows is a strong, if not
the strongest, human characteristic. Any disregard of it by management or any ill-advised
attempt to defeat this human impulse leads instantly to some form of defeat for management
itself.

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.
Transfer of power to workers will only work if management knows their workers and how
group dynamics work.
Encourage positive groups, discourage negative groups
Encourage insights, and suggestions from workers
Encourage co-operation, communication, sense of belonging.
Provide incentives to increase productivity and quality

REMEMBER THIS!

This PERSON see

SHIT, RUBBISH & GARBAGE

This GUYS see

A..HOLE,
GREED (money, power)

UNPRODUCTIVE, ABSENTEEISM, FEAR OF UNEMPLOYMENT,

FEAR OF SETTING UP HIGHER STANDARD FROM THE COMPANY.
UNCOOPERATIVE, FEAR OF FAILURE

Sources of Information

Wren, Daniel A., and Arthur G. Bedeian. The Evolution of Management Thought. 6th ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2009.
Print.

"History of Management." ManagementGuru supports management studies and is maintained by Dr.Makamson. Web. 16 Nov. 2009.
<http://www.mgmtguru.com/mgt301/301_Lecture1Page10.htm>.

"Baker Library Chronicles Human Relations Movement." Harvard Business School. Web. 16 Nov. 2009.
<http://www.hbs.edu/news/releases/092407_hawthorne.html>.

"ProvenModels hawthorne effect - Elton Mayo." ProvenModels - Management Models | Management Theory | Business Models |
Michael Porter | Henry Mintzberg | Management Model | Business School. Web. 15 Nov. 2009.
<http://www.provenmodels.com/6/hawthorne-effect/elton-mayo>.

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Elton+Mayo:+the+Hawthorne+experiments.-a0151189059

http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Elton+Mayo

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