Behavioral Approach to

Management
Contents

• Definition
• Early Advocates
• The Hawthorne Studies
• Branches of Behavioral Approach to Management
• Contributions of the Behavioral Approach
• How Today’s Managers Use The Behavioral Approach
DEFINITION
Behavioral Approach

The Behavioral approach to management evolved mainly because the practicing managers

discovered that adopting the ideas of the classical approach failed to achieve total efficiency and
workplace harmony. The behavioral approach to management highlighted what the classical
advocates overlooked – the human aspect.
The behavioral approach to management highlighted individual behavior and group processes
and acknowledged the importance of behavioral processes at work.
Early Advocates
Advocates

• Robert Owen
• Hugo Munsterberg
• Mary Parker Follett
• Chester Barnard

 Their ideas provided the foundation for such management practices as employee selection
procedures, motivation programs, and work teams.
The Hawthorne Studies
Hawthorne Studies

The studies originally investigated whether workers were more responsive and worked more
efficiently under certain environmental conditions, such as improved lighting. The results were
surprising: Mayo and Roethlisberger found that workers were more responsive to social factors
—such as the people they worked with on a team and the amount of interest their manager had
in their work—than the factors (lighting, etc.) the researchers had gone in to inspect.
The Hawthorne studies discovered that workers were highly responsive to additional attention
from their managers and the feeling that their managers cared about, and were interested in, their
work. The studies also found that although financial motives are important, social issues are
equally important factors in worker productivity.
 Branches of Behavioral
Approach to Management
Human Relations Approach Behavioral Science Approach
Human Relations Approach

 The term human relations means the way in which managers connect to subordinates.

 Supporters of Human relations approach feel that management should recognize employees
need for recognition and social acceptance.

The initial encouragement for the movement came from the Hawthorne experiments:
1. Illumination experiments
2. Relay assembly test room
3. Interviewing programme
4. Bank wiring test room
Behavioral Science Approach

 The Behavioral Science Approach is an extension of the Human Relations Approach. It

gave value to attitudes, behavior and performance of people and groups within the
organizations.
 This approach focuses on the nature of work, and the degree to which it will satisfy the
human need to show skills and expertise.

To get better employee performance, communication, motivation, participative management,

leadership and group dynamics are integrated in this approach.
Contributions of the
Behavioral Approach
Contributions

•Improved usage of teams to achieve organizational goals.

•Emphasis on training and development of staff
•Use of innovative reward and incentive techniques.
•Furthermore, the focus on modern management theory led to empowering
employees via shared information.
How Today’s Managers Use
The Behavioral Approach
The behavioral approach has largely shaped how today’s organizations are
managed. Much of what the early OB advocates proposed and the conclusions
from the Hawthorne studies have provided the foundation for our current
theories.
Reference

 Lalwani, N. (n.d.). Niharika Lalwani. ManagementHeaven.com. https://managementheaven.com/behavioral-

approach-to-management/.

 Anonymous. (n.d.). Behavioural approach in management. SlideShare.

https://www.slideshare.net/simplyidontcare/behavioural-approach-in-management.

 Anonymous. (n.d.). Introduction to business. Lumen. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/baycollege-

introbusiness/chapter/video-hawthorne-studies-at-att/.