The Hawthorne studies were important in advancing the idea of improving human relations in organizations. However, human relations was intended as a tool to understand organizational behavior rather than an end itself. The passage of time was a key factor in building trust and interpersonal relationships, and financial incentives still needed to be included to gain productivity. Critics argued that Mayoists viewed society as characterized by conflict and were willing to manipulate workers, failing to recognize alternatives like collective bargaining or consider unions.

1. Lenny Martini - 29006014
Part III The Social Person Era- Ch. 17
Hawthorne studies were an important step in
advancing the idea of improving human relations in
all types of organizations
Human relations was intended as a tool for
understanding organizational behavior rather than as
an end in itself
Summary
trust was crucial in building the interpersonal relationship
financial incentives had to be included in seeking productivity gains
Mayoists' view on society as one charaterized by
anomie, social disorganization, and conflict
their acceptance of management's views of the
worker&management;s willingness to manipulate
workers for management's ends
Landsberger's classification of critics to Hawthorne
their failure to recognize other alternatives for
accommodating industrial conflict, such as collective
bargaining
examines and reviews the impact of human relations
thinking on academia, industry, and organized labor
Introduction
their failure to take unions into account as a method of
building social solidarity
a critical review of the assumptions, methods, and
results of the Hawthorne experiments and other research
industrial civilization had created a cultural lag by
diminishing the importance of collaborative social skills
Social gospel
Mayoist view of social system
Robert Owen
cow sociology
when employees exposed their innermost doubts and
fears, they were susceptible to managerial
manipulation
the human relations style of supervision was to replace
thinking about improving work itself
Taylor
empirical investigation of human behavior
Bell
ambulatory confessors
Hugo Munsterberg
industrial psychology
Whitting Williams
naive view of societal conflict
society was much more complex and some conflict were
inevitable and even necessary
human as vital machines
individual development
improving human relations within the organization
Chicago Groups
Mayoist assumed that a commonality of interests could
be found between labor and management
the goal should not be to eliminate conflict and tension
but to provide healthy outlet for resolution
conflict-free state of equilibrium was a worthy goal but to idealistic
Lewin
human relations is not an end, it should be a means for
achieving the organization's primary service objectives
sociotechnical system research
group dynamics
survey research
Extending&Applying Human Relation
The Scanlon Plan
Fox
human relations could not be substituted for
well-defined goals, policies, high standards of
performance, and other managerial functions
focused on field research methods
Tavistock Institute
teamwork&participation
case study
Harvard & Elton Mayo
the executive needed more than listening and human
relations skills to be effective in accomplishing
organizational goals
The Premises of an Industrial Civilization
contribution to Hawthorne
legitimacy of Harvard Business School
Mcnair
Human Relation in Concept & Practice
Robert Valentine & Morris Cooke
post-Mayo revisionist put unions into human relations picture
Knowles
industrial sociologists devoted more space to organized labor
The Impact of Human Relations on Teaching&Practice
advanced technology & specialization of labor
destroyed social cohesiveness and yielded a loss of
pride in work for humankind
increased interpersonal competition and concern for
material things destroyed primary group, caused status
anxiety, and created obsessive-compulsive reactions
industry as an institution of groups of social classes,
workers, supervisors, managers who operated in a
larger societal complex
Hawthorne Revisited
basic assumption that prevail in approach to industrial human relations
Durkheim & Mayo
employee representation plans
1920s
trend was reversed
1930s
caused by union organizing attempts increased
Wagner Act in 1935
legislative basis for union
53% stoppages due to union organizing efforts
human relations believed that money did not motivated
answer to industrial conflict usually meaning the organized worker
Sykes
Industrial Harmony
Hawthorne evidence led to opposite conclusion
erroneous to decide wages not a variable
Hawthorne consistent with the view of economic incentives and
the use of a firm hand in discipline in order to get higher output
from professional industrial-relations specialists
1940s & early 1950s human relations texts
3 variables explained most the variance in the quantity of output
Franke & Kaul
time set aside for rest
passage of time alone was sufficient to explain the
increased productivity
confirmed Schlaifer findings
split the group and used a stepwise regression model to
proof the passage of time
no final answers, no fixed solutions to human problems
heuristic rather than specific or systematic
the worker as the center of attention for management's understanding &
application of human relations skills
Schlaifer
The Research Methods and Result
Toelle
doubt that the human relationists neglected the
economic incentives
the social person supplemented, but did not supplant
the economic person
the passage of time interpretation suggest that trust is
an important factor in building human relationships
human relations was based on intangibles not on hard,
scientific investigation
emphasized feelings, sentiments, and collaboration
not supervisory style, nor financial incentives, but the 3 variables
that led to increased productivity
Franke & Kaul had used the wrong statistical methods
collective bargaining
feeling of people were more important than the logics
of organizational charts, rules and directives
Carey
managerial discipline
Mayo's view that socially skilled managers, counseling,
and appropriate leader behavior would overcome the
human problems of industry
union-management cooperation
steady decline in work stoppages
evidences, work stoppages
The challenges to the basic premise of the Mayoist
confused means and ends in assuming that the goal of
contentment and happiness would lead to harmonious
equilibrium and organizational success
economic adversity of the depression
natural conflict between labor and management
dividing the surplus
Organized Labor & Human Relations
accepted a premise that the worker could be
manipulated to fit into the industrial equation
assumed that cooperation and collaboration were
natural and desirable and thus overlooked more
complex issues in societal conflict
rapprochement between scientific
management&organized labor
industrial human relations
too much emphasis on human relations
a better mix of managerial skills that would avoid the
evangelism & mysticism
institutional academic prestige
Mayoist made no reference to the role of organized labor
dangers of compartmentalizing knowledge when it
should be an integral part of all managerial
development
the last analysis of Hawthorne ?
science vs advocacy
17- Human Relation in Concepts&Practice - Lenny 29006014.mmap - 13/11/2006 -