Elton Mayo

George Elton Mayo (26 December 1880 - 7 September 1949) was an Australian psychologist,
sociologist and organization theorist.

He lectured at the University of Queensland from 1911 to 1923 before moving to the University
of Pennsylvania, but spent most of his career at Harvard Business School (1926 - 1947), where
he was professor of industrial research. On 18 April 1913 he married Dorothea McConnel in
Brisbane, Australia. They had two daughters, Patricia and Gael.

Mayo is known as the founder of the Human Relations Movement, and is known for his research
including the Hawthorne Studies and his book The Human Problems of an Industrialized
Civilization (1933). The research he conducted under the Hawthorne Studies of the 1930s
showed the importance of groups in affecting the behavior of individuals at work. Mayo's
employees, Roethlisberger and Dickson, conducted the practical experiments. This enabled him
to make certain deductions about how managers should behave. He carried out a number of
investigations to look at ways of improving productivity, for example changing lighting
conditions in the workplace. What he found however was that work satisfaction depended to a
large extent on the informal social pattern of the work group. Where norms of cooperation and
higher output were established because of a feeling of importance, physical conditions or
financial incentives had little motivational value. People will form work groups and this can be
used by management to benefit the organization.

He concluded that people's work performance is dependent on both social issues and job content.
He suggested a tension between workers' 'logic of sentiment' and managers' 'logic of cost and
efficiency' which could lead to conflict within organizations.

Disagreement regarding his employees' procedure while conducting the studies:

 The members of the groups whose behavior has been studied were allowed to choose
themselves.
 Two women have been replaced since they were chatting during their work. They were
later identified as members of a leftist movement.
 One Italian member was working above average since she had to care for her family
alone. Thus she affected the group's performance in an above average way.

Summary of Mayo's Beliefs:

 Individual workers cannot be treated in isolation, but must be seen as members of a

group.
 Monetary incentives and good working conditions are less important to the individual
than the need to belong to a group.
 Informal or unofficial groups formed at work have a strong influence on the behavior of
those workers in a group.
  Managers must be aware of these 'social needs' and cater for them to ensure that
employees collaborate with the official organization rather than work against it.
 Mayo's simple instructions to industrial interviewers set a template and remain influential
to this day i.e. A. The simple rules of interviewing:- 1. Give your full attention to the
person interviewed, and make it evident that you are doing so. 2. Listen - don't talk. 3.
Never argue; never give advice. 4. Listen to: what he wants to say; what he does not want
to say; what he can not say without help. 5. As you listen, plot out tentatively and for
subsequent correction the pattern that is being set before you. To test, summarize what
has been said and present for comment. Always do this with caution - that is, clarify but
don't add or twist.

Criticisms

Mayo's contributions to management theory were criticized by celebrated sociologist Daniel

Bell. Writing in 1947, Bell criticized Mayo and other industrial sociologists for "adjusting men
to machines," rather than enlarging human capacity or human freedom. More recently, in 2003,
James Hoopes criticized Mayo for "substituting therapy for democracy.

Human Relations Movement refers to the researchers of organizational development who study
the behavior of people in groups, in particular workplace groups. It originated in the 1930s'
Hawthorne studies, which examined the effects of social relations, motivation and employee
satisfaction on factory productivity. The movement viewed workers in terms of their psychology
and fit with companies, rather than as interchangeable parts.

"The hallmark of human-relation theories is the primacy given to organizations as human

cooperative systems rather than mechanical contraptions."

George Elton Mayo stressed the following:

1. Natural groups, in which social aspects take precedence over functional organizational
structures
2. Upwards communication, by which communication is two way, from worker to chief
executive, as well as vice versa.
3. Cohesive and good leadership is needed to communicate goals and to ensure effective
and coherent decision making

The human relations approach – Elton Mayo

 Conducted the famous Hawthorne Experiments carried out at the Western Electric Company, in
the United States of America that started in the early 1920s.

 In the approaches by Taylor and Fayol, the human element in the organisation was not stressed
upon.

 The elements in these approaches were not giving evoking positive results.
  The Western Electric Company, Chicago had Hawthorne plant that manufactured telephone bell
system

 The company was progressive, with sickness and pension benefits

 In spite of this, there was a dissatisfaction among workers.

 Experiment I: Two group of workers, experimented with the lighting or illumination and its
effect on productivity, showed no clear correlation between light level and productivity.

 Experiment II: A girls group was chosen who worked in the telephone relay assembly
department. 5 types of changes introduced over a period of time and productivity measured
after every change.

 Experiment III: 20,000 interviews conducted in two years to determine employee’s attitude
towards company, work, supervision, waged, insurance, incentives etc.

 Experiment IV: 14 male workers were employed and hypothesis was that they would produce
more in order to earn more. It was proved wrong due to 4 reasons given by workers for a lesser
output.

Salient Features

 Focus on individual, his needs and behavior

 Highlight interpersonal relations

 Emphasis on motivation morale and job satisfaction

 Conflict in an organization is always destructive and should be always avoided.

 Based on Hawthorne experiments.

 People behavior as a individual may be different than his behavior in a group.

 Emphasis on improving the working condition, interpersonal relation, supervisory styles and
communication systems.

 People working in the organization may have different goals but it is the work of management to
guide them toward the common goal.

 People working in the organization form their own informal groups and these groups have a
significant influence on the attitude and values of people.