The document discusses the Hawthorne Studies conducted at the Western Electric Company's Hawthorne Works in Chicago in the 1920s and 1930s. The studies sought to understand how various factors like illumination, hours of work and supervision impacted worker productivity. However, the researchers found that social and psychological factors like feelings of importance, participation and informal work groups had a greater influence on productivity than physical conditions. The Hawthorne Studies highlighted the importance of human relations in organizations and influenced the development of the human relations approach in management theory.

2.  The term “Hawthorne” is a term used within several behavioral
management theories and is originally derived from the western electric
company’s large factory complex named Hawthorne works.
 Starting in 1905 and operating until 1983, Hawthorne works had 45,000
employees and it produced a wide variety of consumer products, including
telephone equipment, refrigerators and electric fans.
 As a result, Hawthorne works is well-known for its enormous output of
telephone equipment and most importantly for its industrial experiments
and studies carried out.
 In 1927, a group of researchers led by Elton Mayo and Fritz Roethlisberger
of the Harvard Business School were invited to join in the studies at the
Hawthorne Works of Western Electric Company, Chicago.

3.  Elton Mayo was born in Australia in 1880.
 He became a lecturer at the University of
Queensland (1911-1923) and the University
of Pennsylvania and then became a professor
of Industrial Research at Harvard University
from 1926-1949.
 He is best known for his work on
the Hawthorne Studies and is considered one
of the fathers of the human relations
movement.

4.  According to Human Relations Approach, management is the study of
behavior of people at work.
 This approach had its origin in a series of experiments conducted by
Professor Elton Mayo and his associates at the Harvard School of Business
at the Western Electric Company’s Hawthorne Works, near Chicago.
 These studies brought out for the first time the important relationships
between social factors and productivity.

5.  Before it, productivity of the employees was considered to be a function
only of physical conditions of work and money wages paid to them.
 For the first time it was realized that productivity depended largely upon
the satisfaction of the employees in work situations.
 This school studies the psychological processes in the organizations,
informal organizations, conflict, change, motivation and relationships, and
the various techniques of achieving organizational development by
improving the relationships among the various groups of people
constituting the organization and its internal environment.
 Thus, it may be said that this school concentrates on people and their
behavior within the formal and informal organizations.

6.  Since management is getting things done through and with people,
a manager must have a basic understanding of human behavior in
all respects—particularly in the context of work groups and
organizations.
 The managers must study the inter-personal relations among the
people at work.
 Larger production and higher motivation can be achieved only
through good human relation.
 The study of management must draw the concepts and principles of
various behavioural sciences like Psychology and Sociology.

7. 1. Illumination Experiments:
 The basic idea was to vary and record levels of illumination in a test room
with the expectation that as lighting was increased, productivity would too.
 In another test room, illumination was decreased, with the correlating
expectation that efficiency would decrease.
 This experiment was conducted to establish
relationship between output and illumination.

8.  When the intensity of light was increased, the output also increased.
 The output showed an upward trend even when the illumination was
gradually brought down to the normal level.
 Therefore, it was concluded that there is no consistent relationship between
output of workers and illumination in the factory. There must be some
other factor which affected productivity.

9.  In this experiment a small homogeneous working group was constituted.
Several new elements were introduced in the work environment such as—
shorter working hours, proper rest periods, improved physical conditions,
friendly supervision, free social interaction among the group members, and so
on.
 During the period of the experiment, productivity and morale increased.
 Productivity and morale were maintained even if the improvements in the
working conditions were withdrawn.
 The researchers concluded that socio- psychological factors such as the
feelings of being important, recognition, participation, informal work group,
non-directive supervision etc. held the key for higher productivity.

10.  The researchers interviewed a large number of workers with regard to their
opinions on work, working conditions and supervision.
 Initially, a direct approach was used whereby interviews asked questions
considered important by managers and researchers. The researchers observed
that the replies of the workmen were guarded. Therefore, this approach was
replaced by an indirect technique, where the interviewer simply listened to
what the workmen had to say.
 The results again confirmed the importance of informal relation, social and
psychological needs and their impact on the behavior of the workers.

11.  This experiment was conducted with a view to develop a new method of
observation and obtaining more exact information about social groups within a
company and also finding out the causes which restrict output.
 A group of 14 workers was observed with regard to their work behavior. After
the experiment, the production records of this group were compared with their
earlier production records.
 The observation revealed the informal production norms set by the workers
and the existence of informal relations in the group.

12.  Their job was to wire conductor banks, a repetitive and monotonous task.
 Pay incentives and productivity measures were removed, but a researcher was
placed into the test room as an observer and the workers were interviewed.
 The purpose of the bank-wiring tests was to observe and study social
relationships and social structures within a group
 Perhaps the most revealing aspect of the bank-wiring tests was that the workers
combined to slow down production
 It was observed that the group evolved its own production norms for each
individual worker, which was made lower than those set by the management.

13. (i) A factory is not only a techno-economic unit but a psycho-social organisation also.
(ii) The workers spontaneously form small informal groups. The norms and values of such
groups have significant influence on the behavior and performance of the workers.
(iii) Physical conditions of work have some influence on the workers’ morale and pro-
ductivity. But their inter-personal relations, attitude of the supervisors and other social
and psychological factors have a far greater influence.
(iv) Usually, the workers act or re-act not as individuals but as the members of a group.

14. (v) The workers are not mere economic men motivated by money alone. They
respond to the total work situation including recognition, participation etc.
(vi) The informal leaders play an important role in setting and enforcing group
norms.
(vii) The managers must understand and recognize the inter-personal and group
relations on the job.
Elton Mayo is known as the ‘Father of Human Relations Movement’. The
Hawthorne Experiments provided a landmark in the evolution of
management thought. Many organizations initiated the measures to improve
relations with the workers. The managers were supposed to assume a new
role and to develop new concepts of authority, motivation and leadership.

15.  However, the Hawthorne Experiments were criticized for lack of scientific
analysis and research. It was alleged that the researchers had certain pre-
conceived perceptions and orientations. The experiments were too narrow
and small to provide generalization.
 The findings of Hawthorne Experiments are, however, accepted even
today. Mayo’s work was a turning point in the development of
management thought. His work challenged the basic postulates of the
classical approach. His studies revealed the over-whelming significance of
human and social factors in industry. He is rightly called the ‘Founder of
the Human Relations Approach’ to management.