The Hawthorne Studies

The Illumination studies

Were conducted in 1924, at the Hawthorne Works of
the Western Electric Company, near Chicago
Attempted to examine the relationship between light
intensity on the shop floor of manual work sites, and
employee productivity
Initially there was no change in productivity with
change in illumination
Subsequently, productivity increased even when
illumination was brought down to moonlight intensity
Something besides the level of illumination was
causing the change in productivity
The Hawthorne Studies (contd.)
The Relay Room study
Operators assembled switches in the relay
room
The study tried to test specific variables such
as length of workday, rest breaks, and method
of payment
Similar to the illumination studies, productivity
increased irrespective of the conditions of the
experiment
Something other than the conditions of work
was causing the increase in productivity
The Hawthorne Studies (contd.)
The Bank Wiring Room study
As in the relay room the bank wirers were
placed in a separate test room
Unlike the relay room experiments, the bank
wiring room study involved no experimental
changes once the study had started
Instead, an observer and an interviewer
gathered objective data
The departments regular supervisors were
used in the bank wiring room, to maintain
order and control just as on the shop floor
The Bank Wiring Room study
(contd.)
The results were exactly opposite to those of
the relay room experiments
Productivity did not continually increase; On
the other hand, output was restricted by
social pressure
Social ostracism was more effective in gaining
compliance with the informal group norm
than money or security were in attaining the
scientifically derived management norm

Implications of the Hawthorne Studies
All the operators of the relay room reported that they
felt better in the test room; there was a unanimous
preference for working in the test room instead of the
regular department
The reasons given for this preference were:
1. Small group
2. Type of supervision
3. Earnings
4. Novelty of the situation
5. Interest in the experiment
6. Attention received in the test room
The last three areas are usually associated with the
famous Hawthorne Effect
The Hawthorne Effect
Many social scientists imply that the increases in
relay room productivity can be attributed solely
to the fact that the participants in the study were
given special attention and that they were
enjoying a novel, interesting experience
This is labelled the Hawthorne Effect

The focus of OB
However, the important variables of the small
group, type of supervision, and earnings cannot
be ignored
The modern approach to OB is thus differentiated
from the old Human Relations approach by
variables such as experimental design, group
dynamics, leadership and supervision styles,
rewards, and much more
OB represents the behavioral approach to
management