HAWTHORNE’S

EXPERIMENTS
 INTRODUCTION

George Elton Mayo, an Australian

Psychologist conducted the
Hawthorne’s Experiments(1927 –1932)
at the Western Electric Hawthorne Works
in a Suburb in Chicago.
 STUDIES
Specifically, Mayo wanted to find
out what effect fatigue and
monotony had on on job
productivity and how to control
them through variables such as
rest breaks, work hrs, temp and
humidity.
 HAWTHORNE EFFECT

When people spend a large

portion of their time at work, they
require a sense of belonging, of
being part of something bigger
than themselves. When they do, they
are more effective. The Hawthorne
Effect has also been called the
'Somebody Upstairs Cares' syndrome.
 So What Did Mayo Do?
Elton Mayo selected two women, and
had those two select an additional four
from the assembly line ,segregated
them from the rest of the factory and
put them under the eye of an observer
who was more of a friendly observer
disciplinarian. Mayo made frequent
changes in their working
conditions, always discussing and
explaining the changes in advance.
 Relay
Assembly
The group was employed in
assembling telephone relays _ a
relay being a small but intricate
mechanism composed of about
forty separate parts which had to
be assembled by the girls seated
at a lone bench and dropped into
a chute when completed.
 Relay
Assembly
 INTENTION
The intent was to measure the
basic rate of production before
making any environmental
changes. Then, as changes were
introduced, the impact of
effectiveness would be measured
by increased or decreased
production of the relays.
 Feedback Mechanism
Throughout the series of experiments, an
observer sat with the girls in the workshop
noting all that went on, keeping the girls
informed about the experiment, asking for
advice or information and listening to their
complaints.
Work Conditions &
Productivity Results
The experiments began by introducing
various changes, each of which was
continued for test period of 4-12
weeks.
Under normal conditions with a 48 hr
week, including saturdays and no rest
pauses. The girls produced 2400
relays a week each.
Work Conditions &
Productivity Results
 Changes And The
Results
Observed
Change 1: They were then put on piece of work for 8
week.
Observation : Output increased

Change 2 : They were given two 5 mins breaks, One in the

morning and Other in afternoon, for a period of 5 weeks.
Observation : Output increased, yet again

Change 3 : The breaks were each lengthened to 10 mins

Observation : Output rose sharply

Change 4 : six 5mins breaks were introduced

Observation : The girls complained that their work rhythm
was broken by the frequent pauses & theOutput fell only slightly.
 Changes And The
Results
Observed
Change 5: The original two breaks were reinstated, this time, with a
complimentary HOT MEAL provided during the morning break.
Observation: Output increased still further.

Change 6: The workday was shortened to end at 4.30pm instead of

5.00pm.
Observation: Output Increased.

Change 7: The workday was shortened to end at 4.00pm.

Observation: Output leveled off

Change 8: Finally, All the improvements were taken away, the

original conditions before the experiments were reinstated. They
were monitored in this state for 12 more weeks.
Observation: Output was the highest ever recorded averaging 3000
relays a week.
 The Findings
To his amazement, Elton Mayo discovered a
general upward trend in production,
completely independent of any of the
changes he made.
 Mayo began to look around and realized that the
women, exercising a freedom they did not have
in the factory, had formed a social atmosphere
that also included the observer who tracked their
productivity.
 He had secured their cooperation and loyalty
which explains why productivity rose even when
took away their rest breaks.
 The Findings
 Mayo had discovered a fundamental
concept that seems obvious even today.
Workplaces are social environments and
within them, people are motivated by
much more than economic self-interest.
 When the women were singled out from
the rest of the factory workers, it raised
their self-esteem. When they were
allowed to have a friendly relationship
with their supervisor, they felt happier at
work.
 Elton Mayo’s Conclusions

Elton Mayo came to the following conclusion as

result of the following experiments and studies:
 The aptitudes of individuals are imperfect
predictors of job performance.
 Informal Organization affects productivity.
 Work-group norms affect productivity.
 The workplace is a social-system.
 The worker is a person whose attitudes and
effectiveness are conditioned by social
demands from both inside and outside the work
plant.
 Elton Mayo’s Conclusions
 The need for recognition, security and
sense of belonging is more important in
determining worker's morale and productivity
than the physical conditions under which he
works.
 Group collaboration does not occur by

accident, it must be planned and

developed. If group collaboration is achieved
then the human relations within a work plant
may reach a cohesion which resists the
disrupting effects of adaptive society.