HAWTHORNE STUDIES

SUBMITTED TO – DR. SOMA SUR

SUBMITTED BY

AKASH PRASAD – 71
ARONAB SINHA – 72
MAYANK SINGH – 73
PRATEEK KUJUR – 74
ROUNAK MITRA – 75
 CONCEPT
• Mayo is known for his work on the project which is commonly referred to as the Hawthorne studies.

• An extensive investigation was started in 1927 at the Hawthorne plant, near Chicago, of the Western
Electric Company.

• These studies were conducted to determine the effect of better physical facilities on workers’ output.

• A number of experiments were conducted on the workers to find out the impact of different situations
on their efficiency.

• Hawthorne studies revealed that an organization is not only a formal arrangement, of men and
functions, but also a social system which can be operated successfully only with the application of the
principles of psychology and other behavior sciences.
 Experiments Conducted

• Relay Assembly Test Room Experiment

• Illumination Experiment

• Mass Interviewing Programme

• Bank Wiring Observation Group

 ILLUMINATION STUDIES
• 1924-1927 (Funded by General Electric)

• Conducted by The National Research Council (NRC) of National Academy of Sciences with
engineers from MIT

• Measured Light Intensity vs Worker Output

• Result :
- Higher worker productivity and satisfaction at all light levels
- Worker productivity was stopped with the light levels reached moonlight intensity

• Conclusions :
- Light intensity has no conclusive effect on output
- Productivity has a psychological component

• Concept of “Hawthorne Effect” was created

 Relay Assembly Test Experiments
• 1927-1929

• Manipulated factors of production to measure effect on output:

- Pay Incentives (Each girls pay was based on the other 5 in the group)
- Length of work day & work week.
- Use of rest periods (Two 5 min break)
- Company sponsored meals.

• Results :
- Higher output and greater satisfaction.

• Conclusion :
- Positive effects ever with negative influence – worker`s output will increase as a
response to attention.
- Strong social bond were created within the test group. Workers are influenced by
need for recognition, security and sense of belonging.
 ADVANTAGES
• Clear Identification

• Solves Productivity issues

• Consistency of work

DISADVANTAGES

• Lacks Validity

• More Importance to Human Aspects

• More Emphasis on Group Decision-making

• Over Importance to Freedom of Workers

 CONCLUSION

• Impact of Social Factors

• Importance of Informal Groups

• Leadership

• Proper Communication

• Balanced Approach